USA

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. added a second COVID-19 vaccine to its arsenal Friday, boosting efforts to beat back an outbreak so dire that the nation is regularly recording more than 3,000 deaths a day.

Much-needed doses are set to arrive Monday after the Food and Drug Administration authorized an emergency rollout of the vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health.

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 18 (APP): The United Nations envoy for Afghanistan has urged all countries to continue pressuring the parties to the conflict for reducing violence in the war-torn country so that the peace process could move forward.

“Regrettably, the unrelenting violence remains a serious obstacle to peace and a threat to the region,” Deborah Lyons, UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, told the Security Council on Thursday.

WASHINGTON, Dec 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Sixty-two percent of the International Monetary Fund’s lending in response to the coronavirus pandemic has gone to 21 countries in hard-hit Latin America, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said.

Georgieva told a panel hosted by the Americas Society/Council of the Americas, the fund had plenty of lending firepower left, and would focus on helping countries in the region take the “turn towards a greener and digital and fairer economy.”

WASHINGTON, Dec 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Top US diplomat Mike Pompeo has assured his Turkish counterpart that American sanctions imposed on Ankara for its acquisition of a Russian missile defense system were not intended to weaken the country’s military capabilities.

Pompeo spoke this week with Mevlut Cavusoglu and “stressed that the goal of the sanctions is to prevent Russia from receiving substantial revenue, access, and influence,” State Department spokesperson Cale Brown said Thursday.

Washington, Dec 17 (AP-PTI) US long-term mortgage rates declined this week to record low levels for the 15th time this year against the backdrop of an economy ravaged by the pandemic.

Mortgage finance giant Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rate on the 30-year fixed-rate home loan fell to 2.67 per cent from 2.71 per cent last week. A year ago, the benchmark rate stood at 3.73 per cent.

Washington, Dec 18 (PTI) US President-elect Joe Biden has announced his climate and energy team, which the transition said is ready on day one to advance his agenda and lead the world to confront the undeniable, accelerating and punishing reality of climate change.

The nominees are Congresswoman Deb Haaland as Secretary of Interior, Jennifer Granholm as Energy Secretary, Michael Regan as administrator for Environmental Protection Agency and Brenda Mallory as Chair of the Council of the Council on Environmental Quality.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden brings more Capitol Hill experience than any president in decades, but his transition has stumbled in ways large and small, exposing the challenges of navigating a Congress that is a different place than when he last served in 2009.

He rolled out an almost all-white national security team when allies were expecting diversity. He filled top posts with familiar Washington hands rather than fresh newcomers. His team clumsily floated some names and retracted others for the Cabinet.

DENVER (AP) — Dozens of more states are joining an escalating effort to prove Google has been methodically abusing its power as the internet’s main gateway in a way that hurts consumers habitually feeding personal information into its search engine and advertisers pouring billions of dollars into its vast marketing network.

(AP) --- President-elect Joe Biden selected New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland as his nominee for interior secretary on Thursday, a historic pick that would make her the first Native American to lead the powerful federal agency that has wielded influence over the nation’s tribes for generations.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal authorities expressed increased alarm Thursday about a long-undetected intrusion into U.S. and other computer systems around the globe that officials suspect was carried out by Russian hackers. The nation’s cybersecurity agency warned of a “grave” risk to government and private networks.