By , , WASHINGTON/ATLANTA (Reuters) - Georgia’s secretary of state on Friday said he expects a presidential vote recount in the battleground state, where Democrat Joe Biden has a small lead over Republican President Donald Trump.The candidates each had 49.4% of counted ballots, though Biden was ahead by about 1,500 votes as of Friday morning with 4,169 regular ballots left to count, Georgia’s voting system implementation manager, Gabriel Sterling, said.Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s secretary of state, said he expects the margin in the presidential race to be just a few thousand votes.“With...…By , , WASHINGTON/ATLANTA (Reuters) - Georgia’s secretary of state on Friday said he expects a presidential vote recount in the battleground state, where Democrat Joe Biden has a small lead over Republican President Donald Trump.The candidates each had 49.4% of counted ballots, though Biden was ahead by about 1,500 votes as of Friday morning with 4,169 regular ballots left to count, Georgia’s voting system implementation manager, Gabriel Sterling, said.Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s secretary of state, said he expects the margin in the presidential race to be just a few thousand votes.“With...WW…

By , WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Michigan town wants machines to speed up counting of absentee ballots. In Ohio, officials want to equip polling places so voters and poll workers feel safe from the coronavirus. Georgia officials, rattled by a chaotic election last month, want to send voters forms so they can request absentee ballots more easily.In all three cases, the money is not there to make it happen, say local officials responsible for running elections in the states - any one of which could determine who wins the Nov. 3 presidential election.Presidential nominating contests held this...…By , WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Michigan town wants machines to speed up counting of absentee ballots. In Ohio, officials want to equip polling places so voters and poll workers feel safe from the coronavirus. Georgia officials, rattled by a chaotic election last month, want to send voters forms so they can request absentee ballots more easily.In all three cases, the money is not there to make it happen, say local officials responsible for running elections in the states - any one of which could determine who wins the Nov. 3 presidential election.Presidential nominating contests held this...WW…

By WASHINGTON (Reuters) - United Nations special envoy on Myanmar Christine Schraner Burgener told a session of the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday that “a bloodbath is imminent” because of the military’s intensified crackdown on anti-coup protesters.Schraner Burgener told a closed session of the 15-member council that the military that seized power in Myanmar on Feb. 1 was not capable of managing the country, and warned the situation on the ground would only worsen, according to comments shared with reporters.“Consider all available tools to take collective action and do what is right,...…By WASHINGTON (Reuters) - United Nations special envoy on Myanmar Christine Schraner Burgener told a session of the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday that “a bloodbath is imminent” because of the military’s intensified crackdown on anti-coup protesters.Schraner Burgener told a closed session of the 15-member council that the military that seized power in Myanmar on Feb. 1 was not capable of managing the country, and warned the situation on the ground would only worsen, according to comments shared with reporters.“Consider all available tools to take collective action and do what is right,...WW…

By , WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department said on Monday it was imposing sanctions on two members of Myanmar’s ruling junta, including the chief of police, and two military units linked to the deadly repression of protests again the army’s coup, as Washington warned of more action.President Joe Biden’s administration has already blacklisted top junta members and some military-owned companies, but the military has refused to change course and increasingly used violence against anti-coup demonstrators, killing more than 250 people so far.“Today’s actions send a strong signal...…By , WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department said on Monday it was imposing sanctions on two members of Myanmar’s ruling junta, including the chief of police, and two military units linked to the deadly repression of protests again the army’s coup, as Washington warned of more action.President Joe Biden’s administration has already blacklisted top junta members and some military-owned companies, but the military has refused to change course and increasingly used violence against anti-coup demonstrators, killing more than 250 people so far.“Today’s actions send a strong signal...WW…

By WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An Israeli-Canadian lobbyist hired by Myanmar’s junta will be paid $2 million to “assist in explaining the real situation” of the army’s coup to the United States and other countries, documents filed with the U.S. government show.More than 60 protesters have been killed and 1,900 people arrested since Feb. 1, when Myanmar’s generals seized power and detained civilian leaders including State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi.Ari Ben-Menashe and his firm, Dickens & Madson Canada, will represent Myanmar’s military government in Washington, and lobby Saudi Arabia, the...…By WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An Israeli-Canadian lobbyist hired by Myanmar’s junta will be paid $2 million to “assist in explaining the real situation” of the army’s coup to the United States and other countries, documents filed with the U.S. government show.More than 60 protesters have been killed and 1,900 people arrested since Feb. 1, when Myanmar’s generals seized power and detained civilian leaders including State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi.Ari Ben-Menashe and his firm, Dickens & Madson Canada, will represent Myanmar’s military government in Washington, and lobby Saudi Arabia, the...WW…

By WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has identified three online publications directed by Russia’s intelligence services that it says are seeking to undermine COVID-19 vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna, a State Department spokeswoman said on Sunday.The outlets “spread many types of disinformation, including about both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, as well as international organizations, military conflicts, protests, and any divisive issue that they can exploit,” the spokeswoman said.The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) first reported on the identification of the alleged campaign on...…By WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has identified three online publications directed by Russia’s intelligence services that it says are seeking to undermine COVID-19 vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna, a State Department spokeswoman said on Sunday.The outlets “spread many types of disinformation, including about both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, as well as international organizations, military conflicts, protests, and any divisive issue that they can exploit,” the spokeswoman said.The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) first reported on the identification of the alleged campaign on...WW…

By WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An Israeli-Canadian lobbyist hired by Myanmar’s junta said on Saturday that the generals are keen to leave politics after their coup and seek to improve relations with the United States and distance themselves from China.Ari Ben-Menashe, a former Israeli military intelligence official who has previously represented Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe and Sudan’s military rulers, said Myanmar’s generals also want to repatriate Rohingya Muslims who fled to neighboring Bangladesh.The United Nations says more than 50 demonstrators have been killed since the Feb. 1 coup when the...…By WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An Israeli-Canadian lobbyist hired by Myanmar’s junta said on Saturday that the generals are keen to leave politics after their coup and seek to improve relations with the United States and distance themselves from China.Ari Ben-Menashe, a former Israeli military intelligence official who has previously represented Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe and Sudan’s military rulers, said Myanmar’s generals also want to repatriate Rohingya Muslims who fled to neighboring Bangladesh.The United Nations says more than 50 demonstrators have been killed since the Feb. 1 coup when the...WW…

By , WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Myanmar’s military rulers attempted to move about $1 billion held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York days after seizing power on Feb. 1, prompting U.S. officials to put a freeze on the funds, according to three people familiar with the matter, including one U.S. government official.The transaction on Feb. 4 in the name of the Central Bank of Myanmar was first blocked by Fed safeguards. U.S. government officials then stalled on approving the transfer until an executive order issued by President Joe Biden gave them legal authority to block it indefinitely, the...…By , WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Myanmar’s military rulers attempted to move about $1 billion held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York days after seizing power on Feb. 1, prompting U.S. officials to put a freeze on the funds, according to three people familiar with the matter, including one U.S. government official.The transaction on Feb. 4 in the name of the Central Bank of Myanmar was first blocked by Fed safeguards. U.S. government officials then stalled on approving the transfer until an executive order issued by President Joe Biden gave them legal authority to block it indefinitely, the...WW…

By , WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Myanmar’s military rulers attempted to move about $1 billion held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York days after seizing power on Feb. 1, prompting U.S. officials to put a freeze on the funds, according to three people familiar with the matter, including one U.S. government official.The transaction on Feb. 4 in the name of the Central Bank of Myanmar was first blocked by Fed safeguards. U.S. government officials then stalled on approving the transfer until an executive order issued by President Joe Biden gave them legal authority to block it indefinitely, the...…By , WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Myanmar’s military rulers attempted to move about $1 billion held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York days after seizing power on Feb. 1, prompting U.S. officials to put a freeze on the funds, according to three people familiar with the matter, including one U.S. government official.The transaction on Feb. 4 in the name of the Central Bank of Myanmar was first blocked by Fed safeguards. U.S. government officials then stalled on approving the transfer until an executive order issued by President Joe Biden gave them legal authority to block it indefinitely, the...WW…

By WILMINGTON, Del. (Reuters) -President-elect Joe Biden said it was the “right moment” in U.S. history for his defense secretary nominee, retired Army General Lloyd Austin, despite concerns about the recently out-of-uniform soldier taking on a role reserved by law for civilians.The choice of Austin, who if confirmed would be the first Black U.S. secretary of defense, requires both houses of Congress to waive a law requiring the military’s top brass to have been out of the armed forces for at least seven years before running the Pentagon. Austin, 67, retired in 2016.In announcing his pick...…By WILMINGTON, Del. (Reuters) -President-elect Joe Biden said it was the “right moment” in U.S. history for his defense secretary nominee, retired Army General Lloyd Austin, despite concerns about the recently out-of-uniform soldier taking on a role reserved by law for civilians.The choice of Austin, who if confirmed would be the first Black U.S. secretary of defense, requires both houses of Congress to waive a law requiring the military’s top brass to have been out of the armed forces for at least seven years before running the Pentagon. Austin, 67, retired in 2016.In announcing his pick...WW…