WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - A rehearsal for United States President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration scheduled for Sunday (Jan 17) has been postponed because of security concerns, Politico reported late on Thursday, citing two people with knowledge of the decision. The rehearsal is now planned for Monday, according to the report. Mr Biden's team also cancelled an Amtrak trip from Wilmington to Washington planned for Monday due to heightened security concerns, the report added. Biden will be inaugurated next Wednesday. The presidential inaugural committee declined to comment on the report. Federal Bureau of Investigation director Christopher Wray said earlier that the FBI was looking into individuals who could possibly threaten the safety of the inauguration. A presidential inauguration traditionally draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to Washington, but the ceremonies have been scaled back dramatically because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Mr Biden asked his nominee for deputy attorney-general and former president Barack Obama's counter-terrorism adviser, Ms Lisa Monaco, to serve as a temporary homeland security adviser leading up to next week's inauguration. Officials have warned of plans for armed protests in Washington and all 50 states, and activist groups have been concerned about the
LOS ANGELES: The Los Angeles County became the first in the US to surpass 1 million Covid-19 case since the onset of the pandemic early last year, local health officials said.The most populous county in the country, home to 10 million residents, on Saturday reported 14,669 new confirmed cases and 253 additional fatalities, pushing its cumulative infection tally to 1,003,923, while the death toll stood at 13,741, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.There are 7,597 Covid-19 patients currently hospitalised in the county with 22 per cent of them in intensive care, Xinhua news agency reported citing the Department as saying in a statement.The Department also confirmed the first case of the new coronavirus strain, which was first discovered in the UK.The individual found to have contracted the virus is a male, who recently spent time in Los Angeles County but has travelled to Oregon, where he is currently in quarantine.The more contagious variant has been previously detected in Southern California's San Diego and San Bernardino."Presence of the UK variant in Los Angeles County means virus transmission can happen more easily and residents must more diligently follow the safety measures put in place to prevent additional cases,
BERLIN: Germany's Christian Democrats elect a new chairman on Saturday, aiming to unite their conservative party behind a new leader who they hope can succeed Angela Merkel as chancellor when she steps down after federal elections in September.At stake is the leadership of Europe's biggest economy in the era after Merkel, who has vowed not to run again after becoming Europe's predominant leader since taking office in 2005 and proving a winner with German voters.The new CDU leader will be elected by 1,001 delegates at a digital congress. By tradition, the leader is usually - though not always - the chancellor candidate for the CDU's "Union" with its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU).Centrist Armin Laschet, arch-conservative Friedrich Merz and foreign policy expert Norbert Roettgen are vying for the CDU leadership.However, polls show Markus Soeder, the CSU leader, is voters' choice conservative. Some CDU lawmakers want dynamic health minister Jens Spahn to run for chancellor, though he has backed Laschet for the party leadership.The three declared CDU candidates all contrast with Merkel.Roettgen, 55, the eloquent chairman of parliament's foreign affairs committee, wants Germany to take a firmer stance with Russia and China. Merz, 65, has targeted European Central