USA

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — President Joe Biden framed the Virginia governor’s race as a repudiation of his predecessor, tying the Republican candidate to former President Donald Trump as he campaigned for Democrat Terry McAuliffe in what’s become a tight and increasingly bitter campaign.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and China are stepping up their war of words over Taiwan in a long-simmering dispute that has significant implications for the power dynamic in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.

Amid a surge in Chinese military activity near the island that China regards as a renegade province and has vowed to reclaim by force if necessary, Washington and Beijing have launched new campaigns for global support for their respective positions, each using the stern and lofty language of sovereignty and international precedent. And neither is backing down.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Many progressives have started lining up behind an emerging social and environment bill that’s neither as big or bold as they wanted, thanks to an outnumbered but potent band of party moderates who’ve enjoyed a disproportionate say in shaping the measure.

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 26 (APP): Pakistan underscored the need for promoting conflict resolution and dispute settlement during a discussion Monday at the United Nations on Secretary-General’s landmark report that sets out his vision for the future of global cooperation.

“The Secretary-General has the power and must fully utilize his considerable authority under the charter to promote such conflict resolution and dispute settlement,” Ambassador Munir Akram told the General Assembly, which debated the UN chief’s report, titled ‘Our Common Agenda’, released last month.

WASHINGTON, Oct 26 (Reuters) - The Biden administration is looking at a full range of economic tools to respond to the military takeover in Sudan and has been in close contact with Gulf countries, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday.

Sudan's military dissolved a power-sharing government and deposed a civilian prime minister on Monday. The State Department responded by suspending $700 million in U.S. aid designed to support Sudan's democratic transition.

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 26 (Reuters) - U.N. chief Antonio Guterres assailed what he called "an epidemic of coup d'états" on Tuesday and urged the Security Council to act to effectively deter them as the 15-member body prepared to discuss the military takeover in Sudan.

"The Sudanese people has shown very clearly their intense desire for reform and democracy," the secretary-general told reporters as he again condemned the Sudanese army's seizure of power on Monday and urged all parties to exercise "maximum restraint."

Oct 26 (Reuters) - An expert panel on Tuesday will vote on whether to recommend the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorize the Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11.

An authorization for that age group would be would be an important regulatory step toward reaching about 28 million children for inoculation, most of them back in school for in-person learning.

The FDA need not follow the advice of its outside experts, but usually does.

26 Oct 2021; MEMO: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman is not liked by the royal family, but enjoys popularity among the kingdom's youth, the former deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Michael Morell, said yesterday.

Saudi's youth make up some 70 per cent of the kingdom's population.

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Police say they exchanged gunfire with a suspect during a shooting at a shopping mall in Boise, Idaho, that killed two people and injured four -- including an officer.

Boise Police Chief Ryan Lee said at a news conference the shooting was reported about 1:50 p.m. on Monday — as well as a report that one person was “shot and down” at that time.

When the officers arrived, they spotted someone who matched the description of the suspect.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Democrats’ idea for a new billionaires’ tax to help pay for President Joe Biden’s social services and climate change plan quickly ran into criticism as too cumbersome with some lawmakers preferring the original plan of simply raising the top tax rates on corporations and the wealthy.