Tag: Biden

Biden says Putin has decided to invade Ukraine

WASHINGTON, Feb 18, 2022 (AFP) – President Joe Biden said Friday he is “convinced” that Vladimir Putin has decided to invade Ukraine within the week, an event that would trigger Western sanctions set to turn Russia into what a US official called a “pariah.” “As of this moment I’m convinced he’s made the decision,” Biden said in televised remarks at the White House. Biden said the attack could come in the next “week” or “days” […]

Biden seizes $7 bln in Afghan assets

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP)– President Joe Biden seized $7 billion in assets belonging to the previous Afghan government on Friday with the aim of splitting the funds between victims of the 9/11 attacks and desperately needed aid for post-war Afghanistan. Biden formally seized the assets in an executive order. The money had been stuck in the New York Federal Reserve since the fall of the US-backed government in Kabul and takeover by the Taliban […]

US death toll from Covid-19 surpasses 900,000: tracker

The US death toll from the Covid-19 pandemic surpassed 900,000 on Friday, according to the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus tracker. The toll had hit 800,000 dead in mid-December, just a month and a half ago. New cases linked to the Omicron variant are falling, but daily deaths are still rising, with an average of 2,400 now, according to government figures. “Hospitalizations remain high, stretching our healthcare capacity and workforce to its limits in some areas […]

Biden says IS leader killed in US military raid

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden said Thursday that the leader of the Islamic State group had been “taken off the battlefield” during a raid by US forces in Syria. “Last night at my direction, US military forces in northwest Syria successfully undertook a counterterrorism operation to protect the American people and our allies, and make the world a safer place,” Biden said in a statement. “Thanks to the skill and bravery of […]

Biden threatens Putin with personal sanctions over Ukraine

by Sebastian Smith WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Tuesday warned Moscow of damaging sanctions, including measures personally targeting Vladimir Putin, if it moves ahead with an invasion of Ukraine, as Russian combat troops massing around the pro-Western country launched new exercises. Tension appeared to be increasing, with the White House saying the risk of a Russian invasion of Ukraine “remains imminent.” Warning that such a move would prompt “enormous consequences” and […]

Biden ‘didn’t anticipate’ level of Republican obstruction

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he did not anticipate the level of obstruction he has encountered from Republicans in Congress. “I didn’t overpromise,” Biden said at a press conference held to make his first year in the White House. “I did not anticipate that there’d be such a stalwart effort (by Republicans) to make sure that the most important thing was that President Biden didn’t get anything done,” […]

More than 160 reported dead in Kazakhstan unrest

  by Christopher RICKLETON Agence France Presse ALMATY, KAZAKHSTAN (AFP) — More than 160 people were reported Sunday to have died in several days of unrest in Kazakhstan and almost 6,000 have been arrested after riots in Central Asia’s largest country. The energy-rich nation of 19 million people has been rocked by a week of upheaval, with a number of foreigners detained over the unrest. A government-run information portal on Sunday said that 164 people […]

US snowstorm strands drivers for 24 hours or more

The snow storm is over but the travel misery lingered: drivers on a major highway outside Washington reported Tuesday they were stuck in their cars in freezing weather for 24 hours or more. As families tried to return home from the long New Year weekend, I-95 in Virginia was dangerously icy, gas tanks were running low and for hours there was no help in sight, drivers said. Aerial footage showed seemingly endless lines of cars […]

Biden doubles US purchase of Pfizer Covid therapeutic pills

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden announced Tuesday a doubling of US government purchases of new Pfizer therapeutic pills designed to combat the worst effects of Covid-19. At a meeting with his White House pandemic response team, Biden said the new order will take the stockpile to 20 million from 10 million pills. “These pills are going to dramatically decrease hospitalizations and deaths,” he said. “We already placed the largest order in the […]

Biden told Ukraine leader US will ‘respond decisively’ if Russia invades

WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – US President Joe Biden told his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in telephone talks on Sunday that Washington and its allies would “respond decisively” if Russia moves to invade its pro-Western neighbor, the White House said. In a readout of the Biden-Zelensky call, White House press secretary Jen Psaki also said the US leader expressed support for diplomatic efforts including planned talks between high-level US and Russian officials set for […]

Biden and Putin trade warnings over Ukraine, but vow diplomacy

by Sebastian Smith with Anna Smolchenko in Moscow WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday warned his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin of a tough US response to any invasion of Ukraine, while the Kremlin leader said anti-Moscow sanctions would be a “colossal mistake.” After a 50 minute phone call — their second in just over three weeks — both presidents indicated support for further diplomacy on the tense standoff between Russia and […]

Putin ‘pleased’ with Biden talks, warns against sanctions: Kremlin

MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin was satisfied with his phone call with Joe Biden but warned the US leader against introducing major sanctions amid tensions over Ukraine, the Kremlin said. Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yury Ushakov said the Kremlin was “pleased” overall with the talks, but said Putin warned Biden Moscow needed a concrete “result” from upcoming security talks and warned against introducing major sanctions. “This will be a colossal mistake. We […]