US

The United States on Monday approved the sale of 100 Harpoon coastal defence systems worth $ 2.4 billion to Taiwan.   Earlier in the day, China announced it would impose sanctions against US companies involved in previous arms sales to the island, which China contemplates a renegade province. The proposed transaction "will improve Taiwan's defence capabilities," the US State Department said in a statement. Last week, the ministry already approved the sale of 135 air-to-ground missiles to the island. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian previously urged the US to "stop the sale of weapons to the island."

The number of corona infections diagnosed in the United States is over 8 million. Authorities registered one million new corona cases in less than a month, Reuters news agency calculated.   The death toll stands at 217,000. The virus is spreading all over the country, according to the latest figures. 60,000 infections were diagnosed in the US last Wednesday, the highest number since August 14. On Thursday, ten states reported a record number of new corona infections. In Wisconsin, the state's secretary of health raised the alarm about the growing number of infections. "There are now more than 1,000 patients in hospital with Covid-19. In some areas of our state, 90 percent of intensive care beds are occupied," warned Secretary of State Andrea Palm. Authorities in Wisconsin, which...

Two men suspected of plotting the kidnapping of the Michigan governor are not released without payment of $ 10 million.   The judge set bail for the arraignment of 42-year-old Pete Musico and 26-year-old Joseph Morrison. Both come from the village of Munith about 25 miles southeast of Michigan's capital, Lansing. They are members of a gang called the Wolverine Watchers, named after a powerful mammal for its small size that is called wolverine. The Wolverine Watchers also reportedly planned to storm government buildings in Lansing. The Federal Criminal Investigation Department (FBI) and Michigan Police have targeted a total of 13 suspects in this case. It is still unclear how many are stuck. The main suspect is a man from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Adam Fox. According to FBI investig...

Democratic vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris has argued in the debate with Mike Pence that the US government's approach to the coronavirus is "the greatest failure" in US presidential history.   Harris said the vice president and president were aware of the severity of the pandemic. "They knew it was deadly, that it was viral and had an effect on young people. They knew what was happening and didn't tell you anything. They knew it and covered it up. And despite all that, they still don't have a plan." Pence responded that Trump has been working on fighting the outbreak from "day one". Before more than five cases were known in the United States, all of them returning from China, President Trump did something unprecedented: he suspended air traffic from China, the second-la...

US President Trump will refuse to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the election to rival Joe Biden on Nov. 3.   He said this throughout a press conference at the White House. His statements provoked strong reactions. "He says the most irrational things," said Biden. "I don't know what to state about this." Trump has long hinted that he has no intention of just leaving the White House, even if he loses the election. "We will see what happens," he said last night, after being asked if he would guarantee a peaceful transfer of power in that case. "The ballots are a disaster. We have to get rid of the ballots, and then it will be peaceful because then there will be no handover. Then we just continue. But the ballots are out of control. You know that."

The monitoring committee of the House of Representatives, the lower house of the US parliament, is investigating Louis DeJoy, the boss of the USPS state postal service, The Washington Post reports.   The Democrats, who are in the majority in the House of Representatives, want DeJoy to be immediately suspended after allegations of campaign money fraud. The Washington Post previously reported that DeJoy had asked his former employees for donations for friendly Republican politicians. Employees who donated were subsequently reimbursed for that money in the form of bonuses. Such campaign finance practices are prohibited by federal law in the United States. Chuck Schumer, Democrats in the Senate group chairman, already called on the North Carolina prosecutor on Monday to investigate D...

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in five areas on Sunday (local time) over wildfires.   These include Fresno, Madera, Mariposa, San Bernardino and San Diego, the governor's office said in a statement. Numerous wildfires have ravaged the US state of California for three weeks. Eight people died and about 3,300 buildings destroyed. Since Friday evening, a major fire has been raging in the area around Fresno that has already destroyed more than 18,000 hectares of nature. The US authorities evacuated at least 200 campers stranded by the wildfires by air. According to the local fire service, 20 to 30 people were injured, some seriously. As far as is known, there have been no deaths. Injured people are transferred to Fresno Yosemite International Airport,...

President Trump appears on TV for an interview shortly before heading to the violence and looting-ridden city of Kenosha.   Presenter Laura Ingraham receives him in her program 'the angle of Ingraham' for the right-wing conservative TV network FOX News. Trump wants to present himself in the election campaign as the man of law and order and criticizes the Democratic authorities of cities where it has been restless since May. The violent outbreaks were triggered by the harsh police crackdown on black suspects, such as in Minneapolis in May and more than a week ago in Kenosha. Governor Tony Evers of Wisconsin, where Kenosha is located, has asked the president to cancel his visit for fear of adding fuel to the fire. It was quiet on the night from Sunday to Monday for the first time ...

Police in Kenosha, USA, fired tear gas canisters at protesters who refused to leave. Demonstrations against racism and excessive police brutality were held in the Wisconsin city after police shot an unarmed black man.   For the second night in a row, there were skirmishes after shocking video footage of the shooting incident came out. It shows how 29-year-old Jacob Blake is shot in the back several times by the police while his three children watch. Shortly after curfews began at 8 p.m. local time, police began dispelling protesters at the courthouse with tear gas. Officers began firing tear gas canisters after protesters threw water bottles at police. Some protesters then threw fireworks and more bottles at the police.