Democrat Jon Ossoff claimed victory on Georgia’s second Senate seat on Wednesday, hours after another Democrat, Raphael Warnock, won the first. US President Donald Trump, also a Republican, however, refused to accept the results, declaring that like the Nov. 3 presidential election, today’s vote was also rigged. He also threatened to use his presidential veto, although he did not explain how …

United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday tightened the screws on his most loyal soldier, trying to pressure Vice President Mike Pence to use powers he does not have to overturn the will of voters in a desperate and futile bid to undo President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the November election. Pence finds himself in the most precarious position of …

BEIJING: An expert mission to China to probe the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic was in disarray on Wednesday after Beijing denied entry to the World Health Organisation team at the last minute despite months of painstaking negotiations. Ten experts were due to arrive in China this week for the delicate, highly politicised task of establishing how and where the …

LONDON: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange must remain in custody in Britain, while the US appeals a court decision to block his extradition to face charges there for leaking secret documents, a judge in London ruled on Wednesday. Judge Vanessa Baraitser, who on Monday refused to grant his extradition, told Westminster Magistrates Court that if released there were “substantial grounds” to …

HONG KONG: China’s crackdown in Hong Kong escalated dramatically on Wednesday with police arresting more than 50 opposition figures in their largest operation since a draconian security law was imposed on the financial hub. The sweep is the latest salvo in Beijing’s battle to stamp out dissent in the semi-autonomous city after millions hit the streets in 2019 with huge …

BEIJING: Beijing accused the US on Wednesday of “bullying” after President Donald Trump ordered a ban on a series of Chinese apps in his last weeks in office, branding them a threat to national security. Under the Trump administration Beijing and Washington have clashed repeatedly over trade, technology, human rights and the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. In the latest …

Separate attacks in southern Afghanistan left at least 11 civilians and security forces dead, officials said on Thursday, even as Afghan negotiators were in Qatar to resume talks with the Taliban aimed at finding an end to decades of conflict. In southern Uruzgan province, a suicide car bomber detonated a vehicle full of explosives early on Thursday near a military …

Moderna’s Covid-19 mRNA vaccine is likely to offer protection of up to a couple of years, its chief executive said on Thursday, even though more data is still needed to make a definitive assessment. The US biotech company, which stunned the world last year by coming up with a vaccine against the disease caused by the new coronavirus in just …

Arab states boycotting Qatar could resume travel and trade links with Doha within a week under a United States-backed deal, but restoring diplomatic ties requires more time as parties work to rebuild trust, a United Arab Emirates (UAE) official said on Thursday. Gulf powerhouse Saudi Arabia announced the breakthrough in ending a bitter dispute at a summit on Tuesday, with its foreign …

The US Congress certified on Thursday that Democrat Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris have won the 2020 presidential election, but the certification followed a mob attack on the Capitol building that resulted in the deaths of four people. The invasion also forced lawmakers to abandon the premises and they returned only after Washington’s Mayor Muriel Bowser imposed a curfew …