Tag: Biden

Biden undoes Trump migration orders, pushes for major reform

  by Laura BONILLA CAL / Catherine TRIOMPHE Agence France Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Within hours of taking office, President Joe Biden undid some of Donald Trump’s most controversial immigration policies and sparked cautious hope that millions living in the shadows could one day get legal status in the US. Scribbled signatures from his pen on Wednesday lifted an entry ban for people from many majority Muslim nations and halted construction of […]

President Duterte sends greetings to US President Biden, VP Harris

Says US has shown world how it is an “exemplar” for democracy (Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte greeted the 46th United States President Joe Biden and his Vice-President Kamala Harris on Thursday, January 21, shortly after the inauguration of the top US officials, saying that the Philippines is looking forward to continuing its “long-standing partnership with the United States.” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque announced this in a press briefing Monday, Jan. 21. “Our President, […]

US resumes WHO support, launches $1.9 trillion virus plan

by Nina LARSON with AFP Bureaus Agence France Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The United States on Thursday said it would resume its funding for the UN’s health agency as President Joe Biden shifts towards greater international cooperation in the fight against Covid-19, while also launching a $1.9 trillion plan to tackle the pandemic at home. On his first day in the job, Biden confirmed he had reversed the decision of former president Donald Trump […]

Biden orders masks, travel clampdown in new war on Covid

by Sebastian Smith Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday tightened mask wearing rules and ordered quarantine for people flying into the United States, as he got to work on tackling the coronavirus pandemic on his first full day in power. Signing 10 executive orders in the White House, Biden told the nation that the Covid-19 death toll would likely rise from 400,000 to half a million next month […]

Asia welcomes Biden presidency with healthy gains

  HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Asian markets saw Joe Biden’s first day as US president with broad gains Thursday as investors look forward with optimism about his economic and Covid-19 recovery plans. Soon after being sworn in, Biden signed more than a dozen executive orders unwinding some of his predecessor’s policies, including rejoining the World Health Organization that observers say will help in the fight against the devastating disease. He also signed back up […]

World leaders congratulate US President Biden

PARIS, France (AFP) — World leaders said they were looking forward to working with Joe Biden, the Democrat sworn in as US president on Wednesday after four turbulent years under Donald Trump. European Union  Charles Michel, president of the European Council, tweeted congratulations to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, adding: “It’s time to bring back conviction & common sense and rejuvenate our EU-US relationship.” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “Europe is […]

No crowds, intense security mark scaled-down Biden inauguration

  by Michael Mathes Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Two weeks after pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol, America reclaimed its citadel of democracy Wednesday with the latest transition of power — but Joe Biden’s inauguration, coming amid unprecedented security threats and pandemic woe, was unlike any other. For one, his twice-impeached predecessor Donald Trump was absent, having fled Washington hours earlier, leaving Vice President Mike Pence to represent the White House in […]

Biden becomes 46th president, calls for unity across America

    by Michael Mathes and Shaun Tandon Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Joe Biden on Wednesday became the 46th president of the United States with a call to unity, vowing to bridge deep divides and defeat domestic extremism two weeks after a mob attack tried to undo his election victory. On a frigid but sunny day at the very Capitol building that was assaulted on January 6, Biden swore the oath […]

Biden sworn in as 46th US president

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Democrat Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday, ending the tumultuous four-year term in the White House of Republican Donald Trump. Biden, 78, took the oath of office from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts at a solemn ceremony at the US Capitol which was snubbed by the outgoing president and took place in the shadow of a raging coronavirus pandemic. © […]

Donald Trump left a letter for Joe Biden: spokesman

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Donald Trump left a letter to his successor Joe Biden before leaving the White House, spokesman Judd Deere told AFP minutes after the outgoing president’s departure. Trump, who refused to accept his defeat for more than two months, never congratulated Biden on his victory. “We are just temporary occupants of this office,” Barack Obama wrote in his own note to Trump four years ago, left in the Oval Office in […]

Bomb threat at US Supreme Court ahead of Biden inaugural

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris arrived at the US Capitol on Wednesday for their official inauguration ceremony. Biden, 78, is to be sworn in at noon (1700 GMT) by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts as the 46th president of the United States. Harris, 56, will be the first woman to become vice president. Donald Trump left Washington three hours before Biden’s swearing-in, the first American president […]

Biden to be sworn in as 46th US president, ending Trump era

  by Sebastian Smith and Michael Mathes Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th US president Wednesday, drawing a curtain on the most tumultuous administration of modern times and charting a new course to tackle Covid-19 and unite a splintered nation. Outgoing President Donald Trump entered the White House four years ago as a brash billionaire outsider, but he is being ousted by a polar […]