India's Bharat Biotech submitted on Thursday an application for the emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccines in the Philippines, Food and Drug Administration chief Rolando Enrique Domingo said.

If allowed to go ahead, this would be the first trial of any coronavirus vaccine in Bangladesh and could give the densely-populated country of more than 160 million faster access to the shot for mass use.

The vaccine, developed with the Indian Council of Medical Research, was given the green light for restricted use in India this month without any efficacy data.

"We have received their proposal. The committee will review it," Mahmood-uz-Jahan, a director at the state-run Bangladesh Medical Research Council, told Reuters, declining to give details.

The Dhaka-based International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B), has applied to run the trial on behalf of Bharat Biotech, said a source with direct knowledge of the matter who declined to be named citing internal rules.

ICDDR,B declined to comment. Spokespeople for Bharat Biotech had no immediate comment.

Sinovac Biotech's late-stage trial of a potential vaccine in Bangladesh has become uncertain after Dhaka refused to meet the Chinese company’s demand for co-funding.

Bharat Biotech started a late-stage trial for COVAXIN at home in November and a top Indian government vaccine official, Vinod Kumar Paul, has told Reuters that a smaller study involving 1,000-2,000 people could also be done in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh will from Thursday start receiving millions of India-made doses of another vaccine licensed from Oxford University and AstraZeneca. It is being mass produced by the Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine maker.

Bangladesh, however, has no immediate plans to buy COVAXIN whose efficacy data from the late India trial are expected by March.

"Our vaccine procurement is in good shape. We are going to start the vaccination in the first week of February," Bangladesh Health Secretary Abdul Mannan told Reuters.

"No plan to buy from Bharat Biotech at present."

Brazil is the only country that has publicly announced plans to buy COVAXIN doses from India.

India's Bharat Biotech submitted on Thursday an application for the emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccines in the Philippines, Food and Drug Administration chief Rolando Enrique Domingo said.

India's Bharat Biotech submitted on Thursday an application for the emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccines in the Philippines, Food and Drug Administration chief Rolando Enrique Domingo said. If allowed to go ahead, this would be the first trial of any coronavirus vaccine in Bangladesh and could give the densely-populated country of more than 160 million faster access to the shot for mass use. The vaccine, developed with the Indian Council of Medical Research, was given the green light for restricted use in India this month without any efficacy data. "We have received their proposal. The committee will review it," Mahmood-uz-Jahan, a director at the state-run Bangladesh Medical Research Council, told Reuters, declining to give details. The Dhaka-based International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B), has applied to run the trial on behalf of Bharat Biotech, said a source with direct knowledge of the matter who declined to be named citing internal rules. ICDDR,B declined to comment. Spokespeople for Bharat Biotech had no immediate comment. Sinovac Biotech's late-stage trial of a potential vaccine in Bangladesh has become uncertain after Dhaka refused to meet the Chinese company’s demand for co-funding. Bharat Biotech started a late-stage trial for COVAXIN at home in November and a top Indian government vaccine official, Vinod Kumar Paul, has told Reuters that a smaller study involving 1,000-2,000 people could also be done in Bangladesh. Bangladesh will from Thursday start receiving millions of India-made doses of another vaccine licensed from Oxford University and AstraZeneca. It is being mass produced by the Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine maker. Bangladesh, however, has no immediate plans to buy COVAXIN whose efficacy data from the late India trial are expected by March. "Our vaccine procurement is in good shape. We are going to start the vaccination in the first week of February," Bangladesh Health Secretary Abdul Mannan told Reuters. "No plan to buy from Bharat Biotech at present." Brazil is the only country that has publicly announced plans to buy COVAXIN doses from India.

India's Bharat Biotech seeks emergency use approval for vaccine in Philippines

More than 12,400 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Israel after getting inoculated by the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine, including 69 people who had taken their second jab.

Israel's health ministry tested 189,000 people after they vaccinated by Pfizer's vaccine and 6.6 per cent of the people still tested positive for COVID-19.

Earlier,&nbsp;Nachman&nbsp;Ash, national coordinator on the pandemic had said that Pfizer's vaccine was "less effective than we had thought".

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/portuguese-nurse-dies-two-days-after-getting-the-pfizer-covid-vaccine-354526">Portuguese nurse dies two days after getting the Pfizer Covid vaccine</a>

Israel&nbsp;launched a vaccination drive on December&nbsp;19 with a focus on the elderly, those with risky medical conditions and some emergency workers. More than a quarter of its citizens have now received the Pfizer Inc. vaccine, health officials say.

About a quarter of&nbsp;Israelis have received their first vaccine shot and 3.5 per cent&nbsp;already got their second dose.

Since the rollout of vaccinations one month ago, the Jewish state had inoculated more than 2.2 million of its nine million inhabitants, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said Tuesday.

Still, the country is in its third lockdown with infection rates remaining high. More than half a million cases have been reported and 4,005 people have died in&nbsp;Israel&nbsp;since the pandemic began.

The rise in infections, despite the lockdown and vaccinations, has been attributed to virus mutations and disregard by some people of restrictions on assembly.

&nbsp;In return for rapid delivery of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine,&nbsp;Israel&nbsp;has committed to sharing with the US-German manufacturer its data on the effects of the mass immunisation.

More than 12,400 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Israel after getting inoculated by the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine, including 69 people who had taken their second jab.

More than 12,400 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Israel after getting inoculated by the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine, including 69 people who had taken their second jab. Israel's health ministry tested 189,000 people after they vaccinated by Pfizer's vaccine and 6.6 per cent of the people still tested positive for COVID-19. Earlier, Nachman Ash, national coordinator on the pandemic had said that Pfizer's vaccine was "less effective than we had thought". Also read: Portuguese nurse dies two days after getting the Pfizer Covid vaccine Israel launched a vaccination drive on December 19 with a focus on the elderly, those with risky medical conditions and some emergency workers. More than a quarter of its citizens have now received the Pfizer Inc. vaccine, health officials say. About a quarter of Israelis have received their first vaccine shot and 3.5 per cent already got their second dose. Since the rollout of vaccinations one month ago, the Jewish state had inoculated more than 2.2 million of its nine million inhabitants, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said Tuesday. Still, the country is in its third lockdown with infection rates remaining high. More than half a million cases have been reported and 4,005 people have died in Israel since the pandemic began. The rise in infections, despite the lockdown and vaccinations, has been attributed to virus mutations and disregard by some people of restrictions on assembly. In return for rapid delivery of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Israel has committed to sharing with the US-German manufacturer its data on the effects of the mass immunisation.

Israel: Over 12,000 people test positive for COVID-19 after receiving Pfizer vaccine

US President&nbsp;Joe Biden has said his predecessor Donald Trump has left him a "very generous" letter in the Oval Office before departing the White House.

Biden told reporters that he will not reveal the content of the letter as it was private but he plans on talking to Trump about it.

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It is customary for outgoing presidents to write their successors a letter and leave it for them on the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office.

However, given that the former president broke several of the past traditions, including by opting to skip Biden's inauguration ceremony and never formally congratulated him on his election win, it was unclear until Wednesday whether Trump would maintain the tradition of outgoing presidents leaving notes for their successors.

In her maiden news briefing on Wednesday night, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that she was with Biden when he was reading the letter in the Oval Office right before he signed the executive actions.

However, she declined to offer more details on the letter, saying, it "was private, as he (Biden) said to you all".

"It was both generous and gracious, and it was just a reflection of him not planning to release the letter unilaterally, but I wouldn't take it as an indication of a pending call with the former president," Psaki said.

Psaki&nbsp;addressed other issues during the Biden administration's first White House briefing. She told reporters she has a "deep respect for the role of a free and independent press in our democracy."

She also said Biden will leave the mechanics of how to proceed with former President Donald Trump's impeachment trial to the US&nbsp;Senate.

"We are confident that ... the Senate ... can do their constitutional duty while continuing to conduct the business of the American people,"&nbsp;Psaki&nbsp;told reporters. "He's going to leave the mechanics, the timing and the specifics of how Congress moves forward on impeachment to them."

Biden, a Democrat, was sworn in earlier on Wednesday, a week after the US&nbsp;House of Representatives impeached Trump for a second time, charging him with inciting an insurrection in the deadly rampage at the Capitol on January&nbsp;6.

US President Joe Biden has said his predecessor Donald Trump has left him a "very generous" letter in the Oval Office before departing the White House. Biden told reporters that he will not reveal the content of the letter as it was private but he plans on talking to Trump about it.

US President Joe Biden has said his predecessor Donald Trump has left him a "very generous" letter in the Oval Office before departing the White House. Biden told reporters that he will not reveal the content of the letter as it was private but he plans on talking to Trump about it. It is customary for outgoing presidents to write their successors a letter and leave it for them on the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. However, given that the former president broke several of the past traditions, including by opting to skip Biden's inauguration ceremony and never formally congratulated him on his election win, it was unclear until Wednesday whether Trump would maintain the tradition of outgoing presidents leaving notes for their successors. In her maiden news briefing on Wednesday night, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that she was with Biden when he was reading the letter in the Oval Office right before he signed the executive actions. However, she declined to offer more details on the letter, saying, it "was private, as he (Biden) said to you all". "It was both generous and gracious, and it was just a reflection of him not planning to release the letter unilaterally, but I wouldn't take it as an indication of a pending call with the former president," Psaki said. Psaki addressed other issues during the Biden administration's first White House briefing. She told reporters she has a "deep respect for the role of a free and independent press in our democracy." She also said Biden will leave the mechanics of how to proceed with former President Donald Trump's impeachment trial to the US Senate. "We are confident that ... the Senate ... can do their constitutional duty while continuing to conduct the business of the American people," Psaki told reporters. "He's going to leave the mechanics, the timing and the specifics of how Congress moves forward on impeachment to them." Biden, a Democrat, was sworn in earlier on Wednesday, a week after the US House of Representatives impeached Trump for a second time, charging him with inciting an insurrection in the deadly rampage at the Capitol on January 6.

Trump wrote a 'very generous' letter before departing White House: Biden

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Joe Biden signs raft of orders on coronavirus, immigration and more As Biden unveils COVID-19 plan, US fatalities exceed World War II toll Twitter locks account

Joe Biden signs raft of orders on coronavirus, immigration and more As Biden unveils COVID-19 plan, US fatalities exceed World War II toll Twitter locks account of China's US embassy over Xinjiang-related tweet Cristiano Ronaldo surpasses Josef Bican and becomes greatest ever goal-scorer

Morning news brief: Biden signs raft of orders, Ronaldo becomes greatest ever goal-scorer and more

Social networking platform Twitter on Thursday said that it has&nbsp;locked the account of China's US&nbsp;embassy for a tweet that defended China's policies in the Xinjiang region after it violated the firm's policy against "dehumanisation".

The Chinese Embassy account, @ChineseEmbinUS, posted a tweet this month that said that Uighur women were no longer "baby-making machines," citing a study reported by state-backed newspaper China Daily.

Later, the same article was reposted with a different caption. "Study shows the population change in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region involves the overall improvement in population quality. An increasing number of youths chose to spend more time and energy on personal development," the post by the Chinese embassy in the US reads.&nbsp;

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Study shows the population change in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region involves the overall improvement in population quality. An increasing number of youths chose to spend more time and energy on personal development. <a href="https://t.co/lSn5EpCJFK">https://t.co/lSn5EpCJFK</a> <a href="https://t.co/g7asRRDrd6">pic.twitter.com/g7asRRDrd6</a>
— Chinese Embassy in US (@ChineseEmbinUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChineseEmbinUS/status/1347224755485749249?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Twitter's suspension of the embassy's account came a day after the Trump administration, in its final hours, accused China of committing genocide in&nbsp;Xinjiang, a finding endorsed by the incoming Biden administration.

The Biden administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Twitter's move.

"We've taken action on the Tweet you referenced for violating our policy against dehumanization, where it states: We prohibit the dehumanisation of a group of people based on their religion, caste, age, disability, serious disease, national origin, race, or ethnicity," a Twitter spokesperson said on Thursday.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-sanctions-pompeo-trump-officials-for-violating-sovereignty-358146" hreflang="en">China sanctions Pompeo, Trump officials for violating 'sovereignty'</a>

The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a e-mailed request for comment. Twitter is blocked in China but is an increasingly favoured platform by China's diplomats and state media.

China has repeatedly rejected accusations of abuse in its&nbsp;Xinjiang&nbsp;region, where a United Nations panel has said at least 1 million Uighurs and other Muslims had been detained in camps.

Last year, a report by German researcher Adrian Zenz published by the Washington-based Jamestown Foundation think tank accused China of using forced sterilization, forced abortion and coercive family planning against minority Muslims. The Chinese foreign ministry said the allegations were groundless and false.

Twitter's move also follows the removal of the account of former U.S. president Donald Trump, which had 88 million followers, citing the risk of violence after his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol this month.

Twitter had locked Trump's account, asking for deletion of some tweets, before restoring it and then removing it altogether after the former president violated the platform's policies again.

&nbsp;

Social networking platform Twitter on Thursday said that it has locked the account of China's US embassy for a tweet that defended China's policies in the Xinjiang region after it violated the firm's policy against "dehumanisation".

Social networking platform Twitter on Thursday said that it has locked the account of China's US embassy for a tweet that defended China's policies in the Xinjiang region after it violated the firm's policy against "dehumanisation". The Chinese Embassy account, @ChineseEmbinUS, posted a tweet this month that said that Uighur women were no longer "baby-making machines," citing a study reported by state-backed newspaper China Daily. Later, the same article was reposted with a different caption. "Study shows the population change in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region involves the overall improvement in population quality. An increasing number of youths chose to spend more time and energy on personal development," the post by the Chinese embassy in the US reads. Study shows the population change in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region involves the overall improvement in population quality. An increasing number of youths chose to spend more time and energy on personal development. https://t.co/lSn5EpCJFK pic.twitter.com/g7asRRDrd6 — Chinese Embassy in US (@ChineseEmbinUS) January 7, 2021 × Twitter's suspension of the embassy's account came a day after the Trump administration, in its final hours, accused China of committing genocide in Xinjiang, a finding endorsed by the incoming Biden administration. The Biden administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Twitter's move. "We've taken action on the Tweet you referenced for violating our policy against dehumanization, where it states: We prohibit the dehumanisation of a group of people based on their religion, caste, age, disability, serious disease, national origin, race, or ethnicity," a Twitter spokesperson said on Thursday. Also read: China sanctions Pompeo, Trump officials for violating 'sovereignty' The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a e-mailed request for comment. Twitter is blocked in China but is an increasingly favoured platform by China's diplomats and state media. China has repeatedly rejected accusations of abuse in its Xinjiang region, where a United Nations panel has said at least 1 million Uighurs and other Muslims had been detained in camps. Last year, a report by German researcher Adrian Zenz published by the Washington-based Jamestown Foundation think tank accused China of using forced sterilization, forced abortion and coercive family planning against minority Muslims. The Chinese foreign ministry said the allegations were groundless and false. Twitter's move also follows the removal of the account of former U.S. president Donald Trump, which had 88 million followers, citing the risk of violence after his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol this month. Twitter had locked Trump's account, asking for deletion of some tweets, before restoring it and then removing it altogether after the former president violated the platform's policies again.

Twitter locks account of China's US embassy over Xinjiang-related tweet

Trash collected from Mount Everest is set to be transformed into art and displayed in a nearby gallery, to highlight the need to save the world's tallest mountain from turning into a dumping site.

Used oxygen bottles, torn tents, ropes, broken ladders, cans and plastic wrappers discarded by climbers and trekkers litter the 8,848.86 metre (29,032 feet) tall peak and the surrounding areas.

Tommy Gustafsson, project director and a co-founder of the Sagarmatha Next Centre - a visitors’ information centre and waste up-cycling facility - said foreign and local artists will be engaged in creating artwork from waste materials and train locals to turn trash into treasures.

“We want to showcase how you can transform solid waste to precious pieces of art … and generate employment and income,” Gustafsson told Reuters.

“We hope to change the people’s perceptions about the garbage and manage it,” he said.

The Centre is located at an altitude of 3,780 metres at Syangboche on the main trail to Everest base camp, two days' walk from Lukla, the gateway to the mountain.

It is due for “soft opening” to locals in the spring as the number of visitors could be limited this year due to coronavirus pandemic restrictions, Gustafsson said.

Products and artwork will be displayed to raise environmental awareness, or sold as souvenirs with the proceeds going to the conservation of the region, he said.

Trash brought down from the mountain or collected from households and tea houses along the trail is handled and segregated by a local environmental group, the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, but the task in a remote region that has no roads is a huge challenge.

Garbage is dumped or burned in open pits, causing air and water pollution as well as contamination of soil.

Phinjo Sherpa, of the Eco Himal group involved in the scheme, said under a “carry me back” initiative, each returning tourist and guide will be requested to take a bag containing one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of garbage back to Lukla airport, from where the trash will be airlifted to Kathmandu.

In 2019, more than 60,000 trekkers, climbers and guides visited the area.

“We can manage a huge amount of garbage if we involve the visitors,” Sherpa said.

Everest was first climbed by New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953.

Nearly 4,000 people have since made 6,553 ascents from the Nepali side of the mountain, which can also be climbed from the Tibetan side in China, according to the Himalayan Data base.

Trash collected from Mount Everest is set to be transformed into art and displayed in a nearby gallery, to highlight the need to save the world's tallest mountain from turning into a dumping site.

Trash collected from Mount Everest is set to be transformed into art and displayed in a nearby gallery, to highlight the need to save the world's tallest mountain from turning into a dumping site. Used oxygen bottles, torn tents, ropes, broken ladders, cans and plastic wrappers discarded by climbers and trekkers litter the 8,848.86 metre (29,032 feet) tall peak and the surrounding areas. Tommy Gustafsson, project director and a co-founder of the Sagarmatha Next Centre - a visitors’ information centre and waste up-cycling facility - said foreign and local artists will be engaged in creating artwork from waste materials and train locals to turn trash into treasures. “We want to showcase how you can transform solid waste to precious pieces of art … and generate employment and income,” Gustafsson told Reuters. “We hope to change the people’s perceptions about the garbage and manage it,” he said. The Centre is located at an altitude of 3,780 metres at Syangboche on the main trail to Everest base camp, two days' walk from Lukla, the gateway to the mountain. It is due for “soft opening” to locals in the spring as the number of visitors could be limited this year due to coronavirus pandemic restrictions, Gustafsson said. Products and artwork will be displayed to raise environmental awareness, or sold as souvenirs with the proceeds going to the conservation of the region, he said. Trash brought down from the mountain or collected from households and tea houses along the trail is handled and segregated by a local environmental group, the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, but the task in a remote region that has no roads is a huge challenge. Garbage is dumped or burned in open pits, causing air and water pollution as well as contamination of soil. Phinjo Sherpa, of the Eco Himal group involved in the scheme, said under a “carry me back” initiative, each returning tourist and guide will be requested to take a bag containing one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of garbage back to Lukla airport, from where the trash will be airlifted to Kathmandu. In 2019, more than 60,000 trekkers, climbers and guides visited the area. “We can manage a huge amount of garbage if we involve the visitors,” Sherpa said. Everest was first climbed by New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953. Nearly 4,000 people have since made 6,553 ascents from the Nepali side of the mountain, which can also be climbed from the Tibetan side in China, according to the Himalayan Data base.

Nepal to turn Everest trash into art to highlight mountain’s garbage blight

US President Joe Biden signed a series of executive orders&nbsp;shortly after being sworn on Wednesday, undoing policies put in place by his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump.

The orders included keeping the United States in the&nbsp;World Health Organization, ending the ban on entries from mostly Muslim-majority countries, bolstering environmental protections and strengthening the fight against Covid-19.

Also see:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-trillion-package-to-paris-agreement-heres-how-joe-biden-plans-to-tackle-climate-change-358022">From trillion package to Paris agreement, here's how Joe Biden plans to tackle climate change</a>

Also among the directives was a halt to construction of the wall on the US-Mexico border, and efforts to expand diversity and equality for minority groups in the federal government.

"Mexico welcomes the end of the construction of the wall, the immigration initiative in favour of DACA and a path to dual citizenship," Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard wrote on Twitter.

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México saluda el fin de la construcción del muro, la iniciativa migratoria en favor de DACA y un camino hacia la doble ciudadanía. 
 
Como escribió el presidente <a href="https://twitter.com/Lopez_Obrador?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@lopez_obrador</a> hace unos años al ahora presidente <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoeBiden</a> los puentes abren paso a la cooperación y al entendimiento.
— Marcelo Ebrard C. (@m_ebrard) <a href="https://twitter.com/m_ebrard/status/1352065930541621257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2021</a></blockquote>
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He was referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to regularize the immigration status of young people who arrived illegally as children, which Trump tried to shut down.

Biden's orders were aimed at reversing decisions by his predecessor Donald Trump and setting a clear policy path for Biden's new administration, just hours after he was sworn in as president.

"Some of the executive actions I'm going to be signing today are going to help change the course of the COVID crisis, we're going to combat climate change in a way that we haven't done so far and advance racial equity and support other underserved communities" said&nbsp;Biden. “These are just all starting points”.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pandemic-economic-crisis-racial-injustice-climate-crisis-threats-to-our-democracy-says-president-biden-from-lincoln-memorial-358219" hreflang="en">Pandemic, economic crisis, racial injustice threats to our democracy: Biden</a>

Biden&nbsp;signed a document to begin the process of re-entering the Paris climate accord and issued a sweeping order tackling climate change, including revoking the presidential permit granted to the contentious Keystone XL oil pipeline.

Among a raft of orders addressing immigration,&nbsp;Biden&nbsp;revoked Trump's emergency declaration that helped fund the construction of a border wall and ended a travel ban on some majority-Muslim countries.

The Day One plans were just the start of a flurry of executive actions&nbsp;Biden&nbsp;would take soon after entering office, said his press secretary, Jen Psaki.

"In the coming days and weeks, we will be announcing additional executive actions that confront these challenges and deliver on the president-elect's promises to the American people," Psaki said.

Further actions would include revoking the ban on military service by transgender Americans, and reversing a policy that blocks US&nbsp;funding for programs overseas linked to abortion.

On the economic front,&nbsp;Biden&nbsp;asked the US&nbsp;Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to extend a moratorium on evictions until the end of March, and the Department of Education to suspend student loan payments until the end of September.

US President Joe Biden signed a series of executive orders shortly after being sworn on Wednesday, undoing policies put in place by his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump.

US President Joe Biden signed a series of executive orders shortly after being sworn on Wednesday, undoing policies put in place by his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump. The orders included keeping the United States in the World Health Organization, ending the ban on entries from mostly Muslim-majority countries, bolstering environmental protections and strengthening the fight against Covid-19. Also see: From trillion package to Paris agreement, here's how Joe Biden plans to tackle climate change Also among the directives was a halt to construction of the wall on the US-Mexico border, and efforts to expand diversity and equality for minority groups in the federal government. "Mexico welcomes the end of the construction of the wall, the immigration initiative in favour of DACA and a path to dual citizenship," Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard wrote on Twitter. México saluda el fin de la construcción del muro, la iniciativa migratoria en favor de DACA y un camino hacia la doble ciudadanía. Como escribió el presidente @lopez_obrador hace unos años al ahora presidente @JoeBiden los puentes abren paso a la cooperación y al entendimiento. — Marcelo Ebrard C. (@m_ebrard) January 21, 2021 × He was referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to regularize the immigration status of young people who arrived illegally as children, which Trump tried to shut down. Biden's orders were aimed at reversing decisions by his predecessor Donald Trump and setting a clear policy path for Biden's new administration, just hours after he was sworn in as president. "Some of the executive actions I'm going to be signing today are going to help change the course of the COVID crisis, we're going to combat climate change in a way that we haven't done so far and advance racial equity and support other underserved communities" said Biden. “These are just all starting points”. Also read: Pandemic, economic crisis, racial injustice threats to our democracy: Biden Biden signed a document to begin the process of re-entering the Paris climate accord and issued a sweeping order tackling climate change, including revoking the presidential permit granted to the contentious Keystone XL oil pipeline. Among a raft of orders addressing immigration, Biden revoked Trump's emergency declaration that helped fund the construction of a border wall and ended a travel ban on some majority-Muslim countries. The Day One plans were just the start of a flurry of executive actions Biden would take soon after entering office, said his press secretary, Jen Psaki. "In the coming days and weeks, we will be announcing additional executive actions that confront these challenges and deliver on the president-elect's promises to the American people," Psaki said. Further actions would include revoking the ban on military service by transgender Americans, and reversing a policy that blocks US funding for programs overseas linked to abortion. On the economic front, Biden asked the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to extend a moratorium on evictions until the end of March, and the Department of Education to suspend student loan payments until the end of September.

Joe Biden signs raft of orders, rolls back Trump policies on coronavirus, immigration and more

January 21 in history: Houdini escapes from police station, launch of Israeli spy satellite TecSAR and more

US President Joe Biden and his family have entered the White House for the first time after being his swearing-in&nbsp;ceremony on Wednesday.

Biden's first telephone conversation with a foreign leader will be with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and it will happen on Friday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.

Standing on the steps of the US Capitol that was ransacked by pro-Trump mobs exactly two weeks earlier, Biden was sworn in moments after Kamala Harris took the oath as America's first woman vice president.

"Democracy is precious, democracy is fragile and at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed," Biden said before a National Mall that was virtually empty due to the ultra-tight security and a raging Covid-19 pandemic that he vowed to confront immediately.

"We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal. We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts, if we show a little tolerance and humility and we're willing to stand in the other person's shoes," he said.

"Together we shall write an American story of hope, not fear, of unity, not division, of light, not darkness. A story of decency and dignity, love and healing and goodness."

But Trump, who falsely said that he was cheated out of a second term and egged on his supporters before their rampage at the Capitol, broke 152 years of tradition by refusing to attend his successor's inauguration.

Biden pushed through a flurry of orders the moment he entered the White House, starting with rejoining the 2015 Paris climate accord, from which the United States was the sole outlier after a withdrawal by Trump, an ally of the fossil fuel industry.

"We are going to combat&nbsp;climate&nbsp;change in a way we have not done so far," the new US leader said in the Oval Office as he signed papers to rejoin the Paris deal, which was negotiated by Barack Obama when Biden was his vice president.

Biden also halted the US exit from the World Health Organization, rescinded a ban on visitors from several Muslim-majority nations and halted construction of Trump's cherished wall on the Mexican border.

'President for all Americans'

In his inaugural address, Biden appealed to supporters of Trump, who shattered political norms by ruthlessly belittling rivals, denouncing entire ethnic groups and trying to cast doubt on basic facts.

"I will be a president for all Americans," the veteran Democrat said.

But Biden confronted head-on the rise of domestic extremism, as evidenced during Trump's presidency by the Capitol mob, deadly attacks on synagogues and immigrants, and a violent march by neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The United States faces "a rise of political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism that we must confront, and we will defeat," Biden said.

"Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we are all created equal and the harsh ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear and demonization have long torn us apart."

At 78, Biden is the oldest-ever US president, a job he first sought in 1987. He is only the second Roman Catholic president after John F Kennedy and swore his oath on a bulging old family Bible.&nbsp;

Harris, the daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants, became the highest-ranking woman in US history, and the first Black person and first person of Asian heritage as the nation's number two.&nbsp;

She and her husband Doug Emhoff -- America's first-ever "second gentleman" -- were escorted to the inauguration by Eugene Goodman, a Black police officer at the Capitol who was seen luring the mostly white mob away from the Senate chambers in a video that went viral.

Empty Washington

Central Washington took on the dystopian look of an armed camp, protected by some 25,000 National Guard troops tasked with preventing any repeat of the January 6 violence.&nbsp;

With the public essentially barred from attending due to the pandemic, Biden's audience at the National Mall instead was 200,000 flags planted to represent the absent crowds.

Biden, who has vowed a major escalation in the nation's Covid vaccination drive, warned that the "toughest and deadliest period" was still ahead.&nbsp;

So far, more than 400,000 people have died of Covid in the United States, more than in any other country.

"We must set aside politics and finally face this pandemic as one nation," he said, striking a new tone after Trump's mockery of mask-wearing and business closings meant to halt the virus.

While the public crowds were gone, Biden brought in celebrity power -- absent four years ago with Trump.

Lady Gaga, in a dress with a black bodice and a billowing red skirt, sang the national anthem and Tom Hanks prepared to host a televised evening appearance with the new president.

Jennifer Lopez sang a pop rendition of "This Land is Your Land," often considered the unofficial US national anthem, ending it by exclaiming the final words of the pledge of allegiance -- "one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all" -- in Spanish.

The new first lady, Jill Biden, invited a 22-year-old poet, Amanda Gorman, who became a star of the day with verse on how democracy "can never be permanently defeated."

Biden and Harris started their administration by jointly paying respects to fallen soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery followed by an inaugural parade -- devoid of the usual crowds -- that featured both an Army fife and drum corps in the red coats of George Washington's time, and a drumline and dancers from Howard University, the historically Black institution that counts the new vice president as a graduate.

Trump vows to be back

Trump left Washington hours before the inauguration, walking on a red carpet on the White House lawn with his wife Melania into the Marine One presidential helicopter, which flew near the inauguration-ready Capitol before heading to Andrews Air Force Base.

"This has been an incredible four years," Trump told several hundred cheering supporters at a campaign-style event with cannons before leaving for his Florida resort in his last trip on Air Force One.

"We will be back in some form," vowed Trump, who retains a hold on much of the Republican Party despite being the first president to be impeached twice.

In a first hint of graciousness, Trump wished the next administration "great luck and great success" -- without saying Biden's name.

Biden said that Trump left him a traditional letter that was "very generous" but declined to reveal the contents.

Mike Pence, the outgoing vice president who clashed with Trump in his final days by acknowledging he could not overturn the election, attended the inauguration and was spotted laughing with Harris.

Also taking part were former presidents Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton and their wives -- including Hillary Clinton, for whom Biden's victory was especially sweet four years after her narrow, surprise defeat to Trump.

In the middle of his last night at the White House, Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences of 73 people including his former campaign chief Steve Bannon, who was charged with defrauding donors who thought they were building Trump's wall.

US President Joe Biden and his family have entered the White House for the first time after being his swearing-in ceremony on Wednesday. Biden's first telephone conversation with a foreign leader will be with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and it will happen on Friday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.

US President Joe Biden and his family have entered the White House for the first time after being his swearing-in ceremony on Wednesday. Biden's first telephone conversation with a foreign leader will be with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and it will happen on Friday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said. Standing on the steps of the US Capitol that was ransacked by pro-Trump mobs exactly two weeks earlier, Biden was sworn in moments after Kamala Harris took the oath as America's first woman vice president. "Democracy is precious, democracy is fragile and at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed," Biden said before a National Mall that was virtually empty due to the ultra-tight security and a raging Covid-19 pandemic that he vowed to confront immediately. "We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal. We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts, if we show a little tolerance and humility and we're willing to stand in the other person's shoes," he said. "Together we shall write an American story of hope, not fear, of unity, not division, of light, not darkness. A story of decency and dignity, love and healing and goodness." But Trump, who falsely said that he was cheated out of a second term and egged on his supporters before their rampage at the Capitol, broke 152 years of tradition by refusing to attend his successor's inauguration. Biden pushed through a flurry of orders the moment he entered the White House, starting with rejoining the 2015 Paris climate accord, from which the United States was the sole outlier after a withdrawal by Trump, an ally of the fossil fuel industry. "We are going to combat climate change in a way we have not done so far," the new US leader said in the Oval Office as he signed papers to rejoin the Paris deal, which was negotiated by Barack Obama when Biden was his vice president. Biden also halted the US exit from the World Health Organization, rescinded a ban on visitors from several Muslim-majority nations and halted construction of Trump's cherished wall on the Mexican border. 'President for all Americans' In his inaugural address, Biden appealed to supporters of Trump, who shattered political norms by ruthlessly belittling rivals, denouncing entire ethnic groups and trying to cast doubt on basic facts. "I will be a president for all Americans," the veteran Democrat said. But Biden confronted head-on the rise of domestic extremism, as evidenced during Trump's presidency by the Capitol mob, deadly attacks on synagogues and immigrants, and a violent march by neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, Virginia. The United States faces "a rise of political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism that we must confront, and we will defeat," Biden said. "Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we are all created equal and the harsh ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear and demonization have long torn us apart." At 78, Biden is the oldest-ever US president, a job he first sought in 1987. He is only the second Roman Catholic president after John F Kennedy and swore his oath on a bulging old family Bible. Harris, the daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants, became the highest-ranking woman in US history, and the first Black person and first person of Asian heritage as the nation's number two. She and her husband Doug Emhoff -- America's first-ever "second gentleman" -- were escorted to the inauguration by Eugene Goodman, a Black police officer at the Capitol who was seen luring the mostly white mob away from the Senate chambers in a video that went viral. Empty Washington Central Washington took on the dystopian look of an armed camp, protected by some 25,000 National Guard troops tasked with preventing any repeat of the January 6 violence. With the public essentially barred from attending due to the pandemic, Biden's audience at the National Mall instead was 200,000 flags planted to represent the absent crowds. Biden, who has vowed a major escalation in the nation's Covid vaccination drive, warned that the "toughest and deadliest period" was still ahead. So far, more than 400,000 people have died of Covid in the United States, more than in any other country. "We must set aside politics and finally face this pandemic as one nation," he said, striking a new tone after Trump's mockery of mask-wearing and business closings meant to halt the virus. While the public crowds were gone, Biden brought in celebrity power -- absent four years ago with Trump. Lady Gaga, in a dress with a black bodice and a billowing red skirt, sang the national anthem and Tom Hanks prepared to host a televised evening appearance with the new president. Jennifer Lopez sang a pop rendition of "This Land is Your Land," often considered the unofficial US national anthem, ending it by exclaiming the final words of the pledge of allegiance -- "one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all" -- in Spanish. The new first lady, Jill Biden, invited a 22-year-old poet, Amanda Gorman, who became a star of the day with verse on how democracy "can never be permanently defeated." Biden and Harris started their administration by jointly paying respects to fallen soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery followed by an inaugural parade -- devoid of the usual crowds -- that featured both an Army fife and drum corps in the red coats of George Washington's time, and a drumline and dancers from Howard University, the historically Black institution that counts the new vice president as a graduate. Trump vows to be back Trump left Washington hours before the inauguration, walking on a red carpet on the White House lawn with his wife Melania into the Marine One presidential helicopter, which flew near the inauguration-ready Capitol before heading to Andrews Air Force Base. "This has been an incredible four years," Trump told several hundred cheering supporters at a campaign-style event with cannons before leaving for his Florida resort in his last trip on Air Force One. "We will be back in some form," vowed Trump, who retains a hold on much of the Republican Party despite being the first president to be impeached twice. In a first hint of graciousness, Trump wished the next administration "great luck and great success" -- without saying Biden's name. Biden said that Trump left him a traditional letter that was "very generous" but declined to reveal the contents. Mike Pence, the outgoing vice president who clashed with Trump in his final days by acknowledging he could not overturn the election, attended the inauguration and was spotted laughing with Harris. Also taking part were former presidents Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton and their wives -- including Hillary Clinton, for whom Biden's victory was especially sweet four years after her narrow, surprise defeat to Trump. In the middle of his last night at the White House, Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences of 73 people including his former campaign chief Steve Bannon, who was charged with defrauding donors who thought they were building Trump's wall.

'Democracy has prevailed': First family enters the White House for first time

The toll in a twin suicide bombing in an open-air Baghdad market on Thursday morning topped 20 dead and 40 wounded, as per the interior ministry.

&nbsp;

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At least 13 people were killed in a rare twin suicide bombing in a commercial district of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Baghdad?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Baghdad</a> on Thursday, Iraq's joint operations command said, rupturing months of relative calm. <a href="https://t.co/wefsC6czpy">pic.twitter.com/wefsC6czpy</a>
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The Iraqi military said two attackers wearing explosive vests blew themselves up among shoppers at a crowded market in Tayaran Square in central&nbsp;Baghdad, adding that several people had been killed.

The ministry said the first suicide bomber had rushed into the market and claimed to feel sick so that people would gather around him. He then detonated his explosives.

As people gathered around the victims, a second attacker detonated his bomb, the ministry's statement said.

After years of deadly sectarian violence, suicide bombings have become relatively rare in the capital. The last such attack took place in June 2019 and left several people dead.

The attack was not immediately claimed but suicide attacks have been used by ultra-conservative Islamist groups, most recently the Islamic State organisation.

Baghdad&nbsp;has witnessed almost no such attacks since Iraqi forces and a US-backed coalition drove the Islamic State militant group from territory it controlled in Iraq in 2017.

But the group's sleeper cells have continued to operate in desert and mountain areas, typically targeting security forces or state infrastructure with low casualty attacks.

The last deadly suicide blast in the Iraqi capital took place in January 2018, also at Tayaran Square, killing at least 27 people.

&nbsp;

The toll in a twin suicide bombing in an open-air Baghdad market on Thursday morning topped 20 dead and 40 wounded, as per the interior ministry. At least 13 people were killed in a rare twin suicide bombing in a commercial district of #Baghdad on Thursday, Iraq's joint operations command said, rupturing months of relative calm.

The toll in a twin suicide bombing in an open-air Baghdad market on Thursday morning topped 20 dead and 40 wounded, as per the interior ministry. At least 13 people were killed in a rare twin suicide bombing in a commercial district of #Baghdad on Thursday, Iraq's joint operations command said, rupturing months of relative calm. pic.twitter.com/wefsC6czpy — WION (@WIONews) January 21, 2021 × The Iraqi military said two attackers wearing explosive vests blew themselves up among shoppers at a crowded market in Tayaran Square in central Baghdad, adding that several people had been killed. The ministry said the first suicide bomber had rushed into the market and claimed to feel sick so that people would gather around him. He then detonated his explosives. As people gathered around the victims, a second attacker detonated his bomb, the ministry's statement said. After years of deadly sectarian violence, suicide bombings have become relatively rare in the capital. The last such attack took place in June 2019 and left several people dead. The attack was not immediately claimed but suicide attacks have been used by ultra-conservative Islamist groups, most recently the Islamic State organisation. Baghdad has witnessed almost no such attacks since Iraqi forces and a US-backed coalition drove the Islamic State militant group from territory it controlled in Iraq in 2017. But the group's sleeper cells have continued to operate in desert and mountain areas, typically targeting security forces or state infrastructure with low casualty attacks. The last deadly suicide blast in the Iraqi capital took place in January 2018, also at Tayaran Square, killing at least 27 people.

Twin suicide attack in central Baghdad kills 20, wounds 40

Sri Lanka reopened to foreign tourists Thursday after a nearly 10-month pandemic closure that cut deeply into the Indian Ocean island nation's lucrative travel industry. 
Full operations also resumed Thursday at the island's two international airports, accommodating the commercial flights.

Under new protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19, tourists must be tested for the virus in their country 72 hours prior to their flight, when they arrive at their hotel in Sri Lanka and again seven days later. They must stay in a ''travel bubble''&nbsp;designated in 14 tourism zones without mixing with the local population.

About 180 hotels have been earmarked for tourist accommodations.

The resumption of tourism follows a pilot project that began December 26 in which 1,500 tourists from Ukraine visited Sri Lanka in such a travel bubble.

The government closed the country to tourists last March when an outbreak of the virus surfaced. The international airports were closed except for limited flights enabling Sri Lankans to return home.

Tourism is a vital economic sector for Sri Lanka, accounting for about 5 per cent of its gross domestic product and employing 250,000 people directly and up to 3 million indirectly. Hotels, other businesses and their employees faced crippling income losses.

Sri Lanka had fewer than 4,000 cases of coronavirus infection until October when clusters centred on a garment factory and fish market spread in the capital, Colombo, and its suburbs. As of Thursday, it has confirmed more than 55,000 cases with 274 fatalities.

Sri Lanka reopened to foreign tourists Thursday after a nearly 10-month pandemic closure that cut deeply into the Indian Ocean island nation's lucrative travel industry.

Sri Lanka reopened to foreign tourists Thursday after a nearly 10-month pandemic closure that cut deeply into the Indian Ocean island nation's lucrative travel industry. Full operations also resumed Thursday at the island's two international airports, accommodating the commercial flights. Under new protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19, tourists must be tested for the virus in their country 72 hours prior to their flight, when they arrive at their hotel in Sri Lanka and again seven days later. They must stay in a ''travel bubble'' designated in 14 tourism zones without mixing with the local population. About 180 hotels have been earmarked for tourist accommodations. The resumption of tourism follows a pilot project that began December 26 in which 1,500 tourists from Ukraine visited Sri Lanka in such a travel bubble. The government closed the country to tourists last March when an outbreak of the virus surfaced. The international airports were closed except for limited flights enabling Sri Lankans to return home. Tourism is a vital economic sector for Sri Lanka, accounting for about 5 per cent of its gross domestic product and employing 250,000 people directly and up to 3 million indirectly. Hotels, other businesses and their employees faced crippling income losses. Sri Lanka had fewer than 4,000 cases of coronavirus infection until October when clusters centred on a garment factory and fish market spread in the capital, Colombo, and its suburbs. As of Thursday, it has confirmed more than 55,000 cases with 274 fatalities.

Sri Lanka reopens to tourists after 10 months

As a child, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. wrestled with words, grappling with a boyhood stutter. Years later, as a young politician, he could not stop saying them, quickly developing a reputation for long-winded remarks.

It was words that undercut his first two campaigns for the White House, with charges of plagiarism ending his 1988 bid and verbal missteps that hampered his 2008 outing from nearly the first moments. And it was his self-described penchant for being a “gaffe machine,” as he once put it, that would cement his vice-presidential nickname of “Uncle Joe,” the endearing relative who prompts the occasional wince.

Through a nearly half-century-long political career marked by personal tragedy and forged in national upheaval, Biden’s struggle with his own words has remained a central fact of his professional life and of the ambition he harboured for nearly as long: the White House.

Yet over the course of the 2020 campaign and especially in the two months since his victory, Biden, the nation’s 46th president, has transformed himself into a steady hand who chooses words with extraordinary restraint.

The self-described “scrappy kid from Scranton,” Pennsylvania, who called former President Donald Trump a “clown” and told him to “shut up” during their first debate, refused to take the political bait laid by Trump for weeks after the election with his attempts to overturn the results. Rather than get sucked into the Trumpian chaos, Biden focused on announcing his Cabinet and helping his party win two runoff races in Georgia. And with a second impeachment trial looming in the Senate, Biden, 78, has maintained his steadfast faith in the political center, positioning himself as a champion of all Americans and a deal-maker between the left and the right.

There is “more of a sense of a calm resolve now,” said Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., who has known Biden for decades and served as a co-chair of his campaign. “Even the words that he uses that are fiery are very intentional now. He is where he is supposed to be at this moment.”

The coming year will test Biden’s self-discipline, as he takes office amid urgency from his own party to make a decisive break with the Trump era by pushing through an aggressive policy agenda in the face of a Republican Party that is looking to come together around a new opponent. Biden and his aides are staking much on his ability to find the right words to restore America’s reputation, win bipartisan support in Congress and unite an anxious nation.

Much of Biden’s inaugural address Wednesday centered on calling the country to come together in the midst of many challenges, with some of his first words as president focused on issuing a plea to those who did not support his candidacy.

“Hear me out as we move forward. Take a measure of me and my heart,” he said. “Yet hear me clearly: Disagreement must not lead to disunion.”

Biden's ability to steer and stay the course calmly through turbulence is a testament, say friends and family, to both Biden’s unabashed optimism and his deep belief in the importance of American political norms and traditions. The man who came to Washington at age 30 as one of the youngest senators in history now enters the White House as the oldest president in history, with more experience in government and legislating to guide his path than any leader in decades.

“He’s been around so long that now that he is going to be the leader of this country, he knows he must conduct himself with presidential composure,” said Chuck Hagel, a longtime friend of Biden’s who served as defense secretary in the administration of former President Barack Obama and before that as a Republican senator from Nebraska. “He knows the only way we’ll be able to start to climb out of this hole is for the leader of the country to be seen as fair and open and not dwelling on the negative.”

That Biden finds himself in this role at all is an unlikely turn of events for a man whose political career seemed to have stalled or ended so many times, including when tragedy struck just after he won his first election to the Senate in 1972. But after 36 years in the chamber and eight years as vice president, he became a familiar figure in the country’s political consciousness. When Americans sought a way back to stability after four years of tumult, Biden felt like a comfort to many voters. As Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C. and one of Biden’s most important supporters in the primary race, is fond of saying and repeated in an interview Tuesday, “We know Joe, and Joe knows us.”

To Biden’s friends and family, his success at winning the White House is proof that there is something fundamentally reassuring about his character — his loyalty, his empathy and his experience — that Americans want after four years of an unpredictable and chaotic administration. Even when he misspeaks, they argue, it underscores his authenticity, the journey of a man who moved through the darkness of the losses of his young wife, baby daughter and adult son to remain optimistic about politics, the country and his own destiny.

“He has a backbone of steel. He has a tremendous amount of empathy, and he seeks the better angels in humankind,” said Valerie Biden Owens, Biden’s sister and closest political adviser. “His word is his bond.”

Biden’s remarks during his presidential bid did not always set as decisive a tone. A campaign trail refrain that “words matter,” a line intended to be an attack on Trump, seemed at times like a reminder to the candidate. Often rambling and spotted with verbal tics — Bidenisms like an indignant “c’mon man” and a gentle “God love 'em” — his comments careened between dense policy proposals, praise for long-deceased political leaders, minor flubs and the occasional factual inaccuracy.

Republicans pounced on his rhetorical style, caricaturing Biden as too mentally frail for the job. Even some in his own party pointed to comments like his praise for segregationists and overly friendly interactions with women as a sign that Biden was out of step with the times.

Throughout a long campaign, a pandemic, a racial reckoning and a riot at the Capitol, Biden’s central message of moral and political restoration never wavered: Renew American decency. Return to good governance. And heal a divided nation. From snowy Iowa cornfields to socially distanced debate stages, the former vice president offered his “word as a Biden” that he could fulfill his campaign promises.

In the end, after a crowded primary packed with Democratic candidates pushing for structural transformation and a general election against a president determined to upend government, Americans selected a new president but rejected sweeping change.

While Biden has pivoted left with his party, he remains a centrist at his core, determined to unite a frayed body politic and persuade some Republicans to support his agenda. For much of the past half-century, Biden has found himself in the literal middle of American politics: in the central seat on the Judiciary Committee, in the center of policy debates in the Obama administration, at center stage in the presidential debates and now at the White House. He is a man both of and apart from Washington, deeply immersed in the mores, manners and maneuvering of the Capitol even as he spent decades commuting home to Delaware on Amtrak.

“He has the most unique insight into what motivates politicians and how they think than anyone since Lyndon Johnson,” said Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., who first met Biden as a young man. “He just spent so many decades engaging with politicians.”

More essentially, said Ted Kaufman, Biden’s longtime chief of staff and short-term successor in the Senate, Biden is a “healer” determined to bridge seemingly unbridgeable divides.

The political traits that would come to define Biden were present from the start. A Catholic son of Scranton and Wilmington, Delaware, he has long mythologized his childhood in stump speech tales of “Grandpop Finnegan” and virtuous sayings from his father, a car salesman who struggled to find work.

Even in the 1960s, Biden was something of an institutionalist in a blow-it-up generation. In penny loafers and sports coats, he rambled around the University of Delaware and Syracuse University College of Law, a middling student with little connection to the civil rights movement and the other social activism of the time. He received five student draft deferments during the Vietnam War and was kept from service after a physical exam in 1968 because he had asthma as a teenager, according to his campaign.

“I’m not big on flak jackets and tie-dye shirts,” he told reporters in 1987, distinguishing himself from some politically minded contemporaries. “Other people marched. I ran for office.”

After marriage, graduation and a brief stint at a Wilmington law firm, Biden won a seat on the New Castle County Council. Shortly after his election, one of his colleagues quipped that Biden “was the only man he knew who could give an extemporaneous 15-minute speech on the underside of a blade of grass.” The local paper called him a “compulsive talker,” and his underdog race for the Senate in 1972 was labeled “Mr. Nice vs. Mr. Mouth.” Biden was, of course, the mouth.

He entered office just weeks after the death of his wife Neilia and daughter Naomi in a crash with a tractor-trailer. Reeling from the tragedy, Biden would make only a six-month commitment to the Senate, taking the oath of office from the hospital bedside of his two young sons. Mentored by Sen. Mike Mansfield, then the majority leader, he eventually found himself swept into the business of the body with a plum seat on the Foreign Relations Committee — an early move that would later cement his reputation as an expert in U.S. foreign policy.

In Washington, Mouth found much to discuss. A legendary profile by future celebrity biographer Kitty Kelley in 1974 featured Biden openly discussing dating, sex and his late wife. (Biden would later talk about that period in his life as a haze of rage and anger, saying he felt like a “sucker” for sharing so much.)

His personal life stabilized after his marriage to his second wife, Jill, and the birth of a fourth child, their daughter Ashley. But his political career continued along an uneven course.

Biden’s greatest early failure and biggest success intertwined in 1987: the humiliation of a failed presidential bid and his victory as the new chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee in stopping Robert Bork’s nomination to the Supreme Court. Biden announced his campaign was over during a break from the hearing, where his strategy focused on persuading Republicans to block President Ronald Reagan’s nominee.

Four years later, Biden would again make overtures to his Republican colleagues during Justice Clarence Thomas’ confirmation hearings, allowing harsh and invasive questioning of Anita Hill, the law professor who accused the nominee of sexual harassment. Biden would later express “regret” for the treatment she endured but insist he did not mistreat her.

“If you go back to what I said and didn’t say, I don’t think I treated her badly,” he said in an interview shortly after beginning his presidential bid in April 2019.

As he progressed through what would ultimately be six terms in the Senate, Biden became known for his willingness to reach across the aisle to craft legislation like the Violence Against Women Act and the 1994 crime bill and as a crucial voice in U.S. conflicts overseas. The Senate became his professional home, reinforcing his unshakable belief in the value of personal relationships — the power of his deal-making words — in the service of bipartisan compromise.

Another presidential bid in 2008 ended in failure, marked by impolitic comments like calling Obama, who was then one of his rivals in the primary, “articulate and bright and clean.” But his years on Capitol Hill and in foreign policy and his connection with white working-class voters later won him a place on Obama’s presidential ticket.

During the Obama administration, Biden settled into the role of elder statesman and experienced voice on foreign policy. He led negotiations with Sen. Mitch McConnell and congressional Republicans over the economic stimulus plan and budget deals. Still, some of his most memorable moments grew out of unsanctioned honesty — like breaking with the administration’s official position by saying in 2012 that he was “absolutely comfortable” with same-sex marriage.

In 2015, Biden mulled making a third bid for the White House, but the death of his son, Beau, from brain cancer that May was a devastating blow that Biden said left him emotionally unable to mount an effective campaign.

By the time Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a surprise ceremony at the end of his second term, praising his vice president as a “lion of American history,” the event seemed to mark a tearful end to Biden’s political ambitions.

In the end, it was that faith in his own character and experience that persuaded Biden to make a third run at the White House. Five months before announcing his bid with a 3 1/2-minute video casting the election as a national emergency, Biden described himself as the “most qualified person” for the job. When confronted by a moderator with a list of his possible political liabilities, he dismissed them all as minor issues compared with the huge problems faced by the country.

“I am a gaffe machine, but my God, what a wonderful thing compared to a guy who can’t tell the truth,” he said during a stop on his book tour in 2018. “The question is, what kind of nation are we becoming?”

That sense of history was not lost on Biden on Tuesday when he made an emotional goodbye to his home state. With remarks recalling the national unrest before his Senate victory in 1972, his trip to Washington for his 2009 inauguration as vice president and memories of his deceased son, Biden teared up before even uttering a sentence.

“I’ll always be a proud son of Delaware,” he said, choking up as he drew on a phrase from James Joyce and the tears began to flow. “Excuse the emotion, but when I die, Delaware will be written on my heart.”

Presidents rarely utter such pointed words about their own mortality. But the moment was classic Biden, sharing his pain as he sought to connect with others.

The next president wiped his eyes once more and headed to Washington.

As a child, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. wrestled with words, grappling with a boyhood stutter. Years later, as a young politician, he could not stop saying them, quickly developing a reputation for long-winded remarks.

As a child, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. wrestled with words, grappling with a boyhood stutter. Years later, as a young politician, he could not stop saying them, quickly developing a reputation for long-winded remarks. It was words that undercut his first two campaigns for the White House, with charges of plagiarism ending his 1988 bid and verbal missteps that hampered his 2008 outing from nearly the first moments. And it was his self-described penchant for being a “gaffe machine,” as he once put it, that would cement his vice-presidential nickname of “Uncle Joe,” the endearing relative who prompts the occasional wince. Through a nearly half-century-long political career marked by personal tragedy and forged in national upheaval, Biden’s struggle with his own words has remained a central fact of his professional life and of the ambition he harboured for nearly as long: the White House. Yet over the course of the 2020 campaign and especially in the two months since his victory, Biden, the nation’s 46th president, has transformed himself into a steady hand who chooses words with extraordinary restraint. The self-described “scrappy kid from Scranton,” Pennsylvania, who called former President Donald Trump a “clown” and told him to “shut up” during their first debate, refused to take the political bait laid by Trump for weeks after the election with his attempts to overturn the results. Rather than get sucked into the Trumpian chaos, Biden focused on announcing his Cabinet and helping his party win two runoff races in Georgia. And with a second impeachment trial looming in the Senate, Biden, 78, has maintained his steadfast faith in the political center, positioning himself as a champion of all Americans and a deal-maker between the left and the right. There is “more of a sense of a calm resolve now,” said Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., who has known Biden for decades and served as a co-chair of his campaign. “Even the words that he uses that are fiery are very intentional now. He is where he is supposed to be at this moment.” The coming year will test Biden’s self-discipline, as he takes office amid urgency from his own party to make a decisive break with the Trump era by pushing through an aggressive policy agenda in the face of a Republican Party that is looking to come together around a new opponent. Biden and his aides are staking much on his ability to find the right words to restore America’s reputation, win bipartisan support in Congress and unite an anxious nation. Much of Biden’s inaugural address Wednesday centered on calling the country to come together in the midst of many challenges, with some of his first words as president focused on issuing a plea to those who did not support his candidacy. “Hear me out as we move forward. Take a measure of me and my heart,” he said. “Yet hear me clearly: Disagreement must not lead to disunion.” Biden's ability to steer and stay the course calmly through turbulence is a testament, say friends and family, to both Biden’s unabashed optimism and his deep belief in the importance of American political norms and traditions. The man who came to Washington at age 30 as one of the youngest senators in history now enters the White House as the oldest president in history, with more experience in government and legislating to guide his path than any leader in decades. “He’s been around so long that now that he is going to be the leader of this country, he knows he must conduct himself with presidential composure,” said Chuck Hagel, a longtime friend of Biden’s who served as defense secretary in the administration of former President Barack Obama and before that as a Republican senator from Nebraska. “He knows the only way we’ll be able to start to climb out of this hole is for the leader of the country to be seen as fair and open and not dwelling on the negative.” That Biden finds himself in this role at all is an unlikely turn of events for a man whose political career seemed to have stalled or ended so many times, including when tragedy struck just after he won his first election to the Senate in 1972. But after 36 years in the chamber and eight years as vice president, he became a familiar figure in the country’s political consciousness. When Americans sought a way back to stability after four years of tumult, Biden felt like a comfort to many voters. As Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C. and one of Biden’s most important supporters in the primary race, is fond of saying and repeated in an interview Tuesday, “We know Joe, and Joe knows us.” To Biden’s friends and family, his success at winning the White House is proof that there is something fundamentally reassuring about his character — his loyalty, his empathy and his experience — that Americans want after four years of an unpredictable and chaotic administration. Even when he misspeaks, they argue, it underscores his authenticity, the journey of a man who moved through the darkness of the losses of his young wife, baby daughter and adult son to remain optimistic about politics, the country and his own destiny. “He has a backbone of steel. He has a tremendous amount of empathy, and he seeks the better angels in humankind,” said Valerie Biden Owens, Biden’s sister and closest political adviser. “His word is his bond.” Biden’s remarks during his presidential bid did not always set as decisive a tone. A campaign trail refrain that “words matter,” a line intended to be an attack on Trump, seemed at times like a reminder to the candidate. Often rambling and spotted with verbal tics — Bidenisms like an indignant “c’mon man” and a gentle “God love 'em” — his comments careened between dense policy proposals, praise for long-deceased political leaders, minor flubs and the occasional factual inaccuracy. Republicans pounced on his rhetorical style, caricaturing Biden as too mentally frail for the job. Even some in his own party pointed to comments like his praise for segregationists and overly friendly interactions with women as a sign that Biden was out of step with the times. Throughout a long campaign, a pandemic, a racial reckoning and a riot at the Capitol, Biden’s central message of moral and political restoration never wavered: Renew American decency. Return to good governance. And heal a divided nation. From snowy Iowa cornfields to socially distanced debate stages, the former vice president offered his “word as a Biden” that he could fulfill his campaign promises. In the end, after a crowded primary packed with Democratic candidates pushing for structural transformation and a general election against a president determined to upend government, Americans selected a new president but rejected sweeping change. While Biden has pivoted left with his party, he remains a centrist at his core, determined to unite a frayed body politic and persuade some Republicans to support his agenda. For much of the past half-century, Biden has found himself in the literal middle of American politics: in the central seat on the Judiciary Committee, in the center of policy debates in the Obama administration, at center stage in the presidential debates and now at the White House. He is a man both of and apart from Washington, deeply immersed in the mores, manners and maneuvering of the Capitol even as he spent decades commuting home to Delaware on Amtrak. “He has the most unique insight into what motivates politicians and how they think than anyone since Lyndon Johnson,” said Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., who first met Biden as a young man. “He just spent so many decades engaging with politicians.” More essentially, said Ted Kaufman, Biden’s longtime chief of staff and short-term successor in the Senate, Biden is a “healer” determined to bridge seemingly unbridgeable divides. The political traits that would come to define Biden were present from the start. A Catholic son of Scranton and Wilmington, Delaware, he has long mythologized his childhood in stump speech tales of “Grandpop Finnegan” and virtuous sayings from his father, a car salesman who struggled to find work. Even in the 1960s, Biden was something of an institutionalist in a blow-it-up generation. In penny loafers and sports coats, he rambled around the University of Delaware and Syracuse University College of Law, a middling student with little connection to the civil rights movement and the other social activism of the time. He received five student draft deferments during the Vietnam War and was kept from service after a physical exam in 1968 because he had asthma as a teenager, according to his campaign. “I’m not big on flak jackets and tie-dye shirts,” he told reporters in 1987, distinguishing himself from some politically minded contemporaries. “Other people marched. I ran for office.” After marriage, graduation and a brief stint at a Wilmington law firm, Biden won a seat on the New Castle County Council. Shortly after his election, one of his colleagues quipped that Biden “was the only man he knew who could give an extemporaneous 15-minute speech on the underside of a blade of grass.” The local paper called him a “compulsive talker,” and his underdog race for the Senate in 1972 was labeled “Mr. Nice vs. Mr. Mouth.” Biden was, of course, the mouth. He entered office just weeks after the death of his wife Neilia and daughter Naomi in a crash with a tractor-trailer. Reeling from the tragedy, Biden would make only a six-month commitment to the Senate, taking the oath of office from the hospital bedside of his two young sons. Mentored by Sen. Mike Mansfield, then the majority leader, he eventually found himself swept into the business of the body with a plum seat on the Foreign Relations Committee — an early move that would later cement his reputation as an expert in U.S. foreign policy. In Washington, Mouth found much to discuss. A legendary profile by future celebrity biographer Kitty Kelley in 1974 featured Biden openly discussing dating, sex and his late wife. (Biden would later talk about that period in his life as a haze of rage and anger, saying he felt like a “sucker” for sharing so much.) His personal life stabilized after his marriage to his second wife, Jill, and the birth of a fourth child, their daughter Ashley. But his political career continued along an uneven course. Biden’s greatest early failure and biggest success intertwined in 1987: the humiliation of a failed presidential bid and his victory as the new chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee in stopping Robert Bork’s nomination to the Supreme Court. Biden announced his campaign was over during a break from the hearing, where his strategy focused on persuading Republicans to block President Ronald Reagan’s nominee. Four years later, Biden would again make overtures to his Republican colleagues during Justice Clarence Thomas’ confirmation hearings, allowing harsh and invasive questioning of Anita Hill, the law professor who accused the nominee of sexual harassment. Biden would later express “regret” for the treatment she endured but insist he did not mistreat her. “If you go back to what I said and didn’t say, I don’t think I treated her badly,” he said in an interview shortly after beginning his presidential bid in April 2019. As he progressed through what would ultimately be six terms in the Senate, Biden became known for his willingness to reach across the aisle to craft legislation like the Violence Against Women Act and the 1994 crime bill and as a crucial voice in U.S. conflicts overseas. The Senate became his professional home, reinforcing his unshakable belief in the value of personal relationships — the power of his deal-making words — in the service of bipartisan compromise. Another presidential bid in 2008 ended in failure, marked by impolitic comments like calling Obama, who was then one of his rivals in the primary, “articulate and bright and clean.” But his years on Capitol Hill and in foreign policy and his connection with white working-class voters later won him a place on Obama’s presidential ticket. During the Obama administration, Biden settled into the role of elder statesman and experienced voice on foreign policy. He led negotiations with Sen. Mitch McConnell and congressional Republicans over the economic stimulus plan and budget deals. Still, some of his most memorable moments grew out of unsanctioned honesty — like breaking with the administration’s official position by saying in 2012 that he was “absolutely comfortable” with same-sex marriage. In 2015, Biden mulled making a third bid for the White House, but the death of his son, Beau, from brain cancer that May was a devastating blow that Biden said left him emotionally unable to mount an effective campaign. By the time Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a surprise ceremony at the end of his second term, praising his vice president as a “lion of American history,” the event seemed to mark a tearful end to Biden’s political ambitions. In the end, it was that faith in his own character and experience that persuaded Biden to make a third run at the White House. Five months before announcing his bid with a 3 1/2-minute video casting the election as a national emergency, Biden described himself as the “most qualified person” for the job. When confronted by a moderator with a list of his possible political liabilities, he dismissed them all as minor issues compared with the huge problems faced by the country. “I am a gaffe machine, but my God, what a wonderful thing compared to a guy who can’t tell the truth,” he said during a stop on his book tour in 2018. “The question is, what kind of nation are we becoming?” That sense of history was not lost on Biden on Tuesday when he made an emotional goodbye to his home state. With remarks recalling the national unrest before his Senate victory in 1972, his trip to Washington for his 2009 inauguration as vice president and memories of his deceased son, Biden teared up before even uttering a sentence. “I’ll always be a proud son of Delaware,” he said, choking up as he drew on a phrase from James Joyce and the tears began to flow. “Excuse the emotion, but when I die, Delaware will be written on my heart.” Presidents rarely utter such pointed words about their own mortality. But the moment was classic Biden, sharing his pain as he sought to connect with others. The next president wiped his eyes once more and headed to Washington.

How Joe Biden became a steady hand amid so much chaos

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Zee News Rajasthan

Editor

Vyomica Berry

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