President Joe Biden

September 12, 2024 10:16 AM

US supports two permanent UN Security Council seats for Africa

The United States supports creating two permanent United Nations Security Council seats for African states and one seat to be rotated among small island developing states, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield will announce on Thursday, Reuters reported. The move comes as the U.S. seeks to repair ties with Africa, where many are unhappy about Washington's support for Israel's war in Gaza, and deepen relations with Pacific Islands nations important to countering Chinese influence i...

August 15, 2024 4:07 PM

Doctors struggle to get Wegovy for older Americans with heart disease

Older Americans are having little success getting prescriptions for weight-loss drug Wegovy covered by Medicare despite the federal healthcare program's decision to pay for patients with obesity at risk of heart disease, according to their doctors. In interviews with Reuters, seven obesity and heart disease specialists from various parts of the United States said their prescriptions for the Novo Nordisk drug have been denied repeatedly by the healthcare companies that administer Medicare drug b...

July 26, 2024 5:00 PM

Barack and Michelle Obama endorse Harris for president

Former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle endorsed Kamala Harris' bid for president on Friday in a roughly one-minute long video that captured a private phone call between the couple and the current vice president. "We called to say Michelle and I couldn't be prouder to endorse you and to do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office," Obama told Harris. "I am proud of you. This is going to be historic," the former first lady told Harris. Talking int...

July 19, 2024 11:39 AM

Donald Trump accepts Republican nomination, assasination attempt dominates speech

Donald Trump described on Thursday how he narrowly survived an attempt on his life, telling a rapt audience at the Republican National Convention in his first speech since the attack that he was only there "by the grace of Almighty God." "I heard a loud whizzing sound and felt something hit me really, really hard on my right ear," he said in Milwaukee, a thick bandage still covering his ear. "I said to myself, 'Wow, what was that? It can only be a bullet." When he told the crowd that he was "...

July 18, 2024 2:09 PM

US military ends Gaza floating pier mission to bring aid to Palestinians by sea

The U.S. military announced on Wednesday that its mission to install and operate a temporary, floating pier off the coast of Gaza was complete, formally ending an extraordinary but troubled effort to bring humanitarian aid to Palestinians. The pier, announced by President Joe Biden during a televised address to Congress in March, was a massive endeavor that took about 1,000 U.S. forces to execute. Aid began flowing via the pier to Gaza in May, an operation aimed at helping avert famine after mo...

July 3, 2024 4:24 PM

Israel conducts new strikes in Gaza, families seek shelter after evacuation order

Many Palestinians were seeking shelter on Wednesday after fleeing their homes in southern Gaza and complained of water shortages as Israel pressed on with its military offensive in the densely populated enclave. Israeli forces carried out new military strikes in the southern city of Rafah amid fierce fighting with Palestinian militants overnight, residents said. At least 12 people were killed in new strikes in central and northern Gaza, health officials said. Israel's leaders have said they ar...

June 18, 2024 6:04 PM

US lawmakers in India to meet Dalai Lama, discuss Tibet-China dispute bill

A group of U.S. lawmakers arrived in India on Tuesday to meet Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, with the head of the delegation saying President Joe Biden would soon sign a bill that aims to press China to resolve the Tibet dispute. The bill seeks to push Beijing to hold talks with Tibetan leaders, stalled since 2010, to secure a negotiated agreement on Tibet and spur China to address Tibetan people's aspirations on their historical, cultural, religious and linguistic identity. The visi...

June 12, 2024 10:21 AM

U.S. President Joe Biden’s son Hunter convicted of lying about drug use to buy gun

President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden was convicted by a jury on Tuesday of lying about his illegal drug use to buy a gun, making him the first child of a sitting U.S. president to be convicted of a crime. A 12-member jury in Wilmington, Delaware - the Bidens' hometown - found the defendant guilty on all three counts against him. Hunter Biden, 54, lightly nodded his head after the verdict was read but otherwise showed little reaction. He then patted his lawyer Abbe Lowell on the back and hu...

January 21, 2026 12:20 PM

Migrants crossing Panama’s Darien Gap in increasing numbers

Just over 170,000 migrants crossed the perilous Darien Gap that connects Panama to Colombia over the first five months of this year, Panama's migration agency said on Thursday, suggesting 2024 could again break records. This is 2% higher than the nearly 167,000 who made the crossing in the same period of last year, data from the National Migration Service (SNM) showed, as more people embark on the dangerous crossing, many seeking better opportunities in the United States. Last year marked a re...

June 5, 2024 4:09 PM

Hamas wants Israel to commit to permanent ceasefire, full withdrawal from Gaza

Hamas cannot agree to any deal unless Israel makes a "clear" commitment to a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, a senior official from the Palestinian militant group said on Tuesday. Qatar, which alongside the United States and Egypt has been mediating talks between Hamas and Israel, has also urged Israel to provide a clear position that has the backing of its entire government to reach a deal. "We cannot agree to an agreement that doesn't secure, guarantee, and...