WASHINGTON, November 22 (Reuters): After a scathing court setback in Pennsylvania, President Donald Trump faces increased pressure from his fellow Republicans to drop his effort to overturn the U.S. presidential election and concede to Democrat Joe Biden. Since Biden was declared the winner two weeks ago, Trump has launched a barrage of lawsuits and mounted a pressure campaign to prevent states from certifying their vote totals. So far, attempts to thwart certification have

Washington, November 22 (IANS): The overall number of global coronavirus cases has surpassed the 58 million mark, while the deaths have surged to more than 1.37 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University. In its latest update on Sunday, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and death toll stood at 58,035,296 and 1,379,508, respectively. The US is the worst-hit country with the world's highest n

WASHINGTON, November 22 (Reuters): Leaders of the world's 20 biggest economies on Sunday will pledge to pay for a fair distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, drugs and tests around the world so that poorer countries are not left out, and to extend debt relief to them, a draft G20 communique showed. "We will spare no effort to ensure their affordable and equitable access for all people, consistent with members’ commitments to incentivize innovation," the leaders

BEIJING, November 21 (Reuters): President Xi Jinping said on Saturday that China is ready to step up global COVID-19 vaccine cooperation, and called for better international coordination on policies to facilitate movement of people. Pharmaceutical companies and research centres around the world are working on potential COVID-19 vaccines, with large global trials of several of the candidates involving tens of thousands of participants underway. China has five home-grown candidat

WASHINGTON, November 21 (Reuters): President Donald Trump, battered by back-to-back setbacks in his desperate bid to overturn the U.S. presidential election, persisted with claims of massive voter fraud on Saturday, two weeks after Democrat Joe Biden was declared president-elect. Trump, a Republican, has refused to concede Biden won and is seeking to invalidate or change the results through lawsuits and recounts in several battleground states. His campaign has not been able to

BRUSSELS, November 21 (Reuters): Leaders of the 20 biggest world economies (G20) will debate this weekend how to deal with the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic that has caused a global recession and how to manage the recovery once the coronavirus is under control. High on the agenda are purchases and global distribution of vaccines, drugs and tests for low income countries that cannot afford such expenses themselves. The European Union will urge the G20 on Saturday to invest $4.

ROME, November 21 (Reuters): Archaeologists have discovered the exceptionally well-preserved remains of two men scalded to death by the volcanic eruption that destroyed the ancient Roman city of Pompeii in 79 AD, the Italian culture ministry said on Saturday. One was probably a man of high status, aged between 30 and 40, who still bore traces of a woollen cloak under his neck. The second, probably aged 18 to 23, was dressed in a tunic and had a number of crushed vertebrae, i

KABUL, November 21 (Reuters): Several rockets hit residential areas in the early rush hour in the Afghan capital Kabul on Saturday, killing at least eight civilians and wounding 31, police officials said. The explosions, some close to the diplomatic enclave, sent warning sirens blaring from embassies and it comes two days before a major donor conference for Afghanistan in Geneva. Tariq Arian, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, said at least eight civilians had been kill

NAIROBI/ADDIS ABABA, November 21 (Reuters): The Ethiopian government said on Saturday its forces had seized another town in their advance on the rebel-held capital of northern Tigray region, and rebuffed an African diplomatic push to mediate. More than two weeks into Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's offensive, his government said Tigrayan forces were digging in and using bulldozers to plough up roads around the regional capital Mekelle, home to about half a million people. Hundred

BEIRUT, November 21 (Reuters): Five escaping prisoners died on Saturday when their car hit a tree after more than 60 detainees broke out of a Lebanese detention centre outside the capital Beirut, Lebanon's Internal Security Forces (ISF) said in a statement. The ISF statement did not say how the 69 prisoners had escaped from the facility, which a security source said holds pre-trial detainees and is part of Baabda district prison near Beirut. President Michel Aoun was bri

PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil, November 21 (Reuters): More than 1,000 demonstrators attacked a Carrefour Brasil supermarket in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre on Friday after security guards beat to death a Black man at the store. The killing, which has sparked protests across Brazil, occurred late on Thursday when a store employee called security after the man threatened to attack her, cable news channel GloboNews said, citing the Rio Grande do Sul state military police.

LAJOSMIZSE, Hungary, November 21 (Reuters): When confectioner Laszlo Rimoczi decided to put masks on his chocolate Santas in his small workshop in rural Hungary, he intended it as a light-hearted joke to raise people's spirits amid a worsening coronavirus pandemic. But it turned out to be shrewd business move as orders surged online, and now he can hardly keep pace with demand. "I think by the time Santa comes he will have to wear a mask because Santa has to show a

WASHINGTON, November 21 (Reuters): Joe Biden on Saturday reached the two-week mark since becoming president-elect, with President Donald Trump stinging from back-to-back setbacks in his desperate, unprecedented bid to undo his election defeat. Biden, a Democrat, is preparing to take office on Jan. 20, but Trump, a Republican, has refused to concede and is seeking to invalidate or overturn the results through lawsuits and recounts in a number of states, claiming - without proof - wid

MEXICO CITY/WASHINGTON, November 21 (Reuters): Mexico has committed to the arrest of a high-level cartel leader under a deal with U.S. Attorney General William Barr to drop U.S. drug trafficking charges against a former Mexican defense minister, a senior Mexican source told Reuters. The United States dropped the case against retired General Salvador Cienfuegos this week citing "sensitive and important" foreign policy considerations that outweighed interest in pursuing

SHANGHAI, November 21 (Reuters): The head of the Tibetan government in exile has visited the U.S. White House for the first time in six decades, a move that could further infuriate Beijing, which has accused the United States of trying to destabilise the region. Lobsan Sangay, President of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), was invited to the White House to meet the newly appointed U.S. Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, Robert Destro, on Friday, the CTA said in a p

Washington, November 21 (IANS): The overall number of global coronavirus cases has surpassed the 57 million mark, while the deaths have surged to more than 1.36 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University. In its latest update on Saturday, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and death toll stood at 57,441,503 and 1,371,241, respectively. The US is the worst-hit country with the world's highest

WASHINGTON, November 21 (Reuters): Donald Trump Jr., the son of U.S. President Donald Trump, tested positive for COVID-19 this week, although he is experiencing no symptoms, according to his spokesman. Trump Jr. tested positive at the start of the week and has been "quarantining at his cabin since the result," the spokesman said. "He's been completely asymptomatic so far and is following all medically recommended COVID-19 guidelines," he said.

SAO PAULO, November 20 (Reuters): Carrefour Brasil said on Friday it had terminated the contract of the security firm whose employees had beaten to death a Black man at one of its supermarkets in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre. Citing the Rio Grande do Sul state military police, Cable news channel G1 said the incident occurred late on Thursday when a store employee called security after the man threatened to attack her. Amateur footage of the fatal beating and t

TBILISI, November 20 (Reuters): A gunman has released unharmed all nine hostages he had taken at a microfinance organisation in the Georgian capital Tbilisi on Friday, police said. According to preliminary information, the gunman was not demanding a ransom but had some social demands, including lower prices for medicines. Last month, a masked gunman took 43 hostages during a bank robbery in the town of Zugdidi in western Georgia. He disappeared after receiving a ransom of $5

NEW YORK, November 20 (Reuters): U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Friday that war-torn Yemen "is now in imminent danger of the worst famine the world has seen for decades." Guterres warning comes as the United States threatens to blacklist Yemen's Iran-allied Houthi group as part of its "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran. Aid workers have raised fears such a move would prevent life-saving aid reaching the country. "I urge