World

Four days after the election, the U.S. presidential race hovered in suspended animation Saturday as the long, exacting work of counting votes brought Democrat Joe Biden ever closer to a victory over President Donald Trump.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on Friday asked Iran to expedite the investigation into the downing of a Ukrainian airliner in January.

A lawyer for President Donald Trumps former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, quit defending him in a federal fraud case a day after Bannnon made inflammatory comments about Dr. Anthony Fauci and FBI Director Christopher Wray.

Latvia's government on Friday declared a fourweek lockdown starting on Nov. 9 to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has accelerated in recent weeks in the Baltic nation.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Friday denounced what he called intolerable threats to freedom of expression, after a Rotterdam teacher was forced into hiding following a classroom discussion on the killing of French teacher Samuel Paty.

Pennsylvania, and its 20 electoral votes, would be enough to put the 77-year-old Biden past the magic number of 270 votes in the Electoral College, which determines the presidency.

The World Health Organization is looking at biosecurity around mink farms in countries across the world to prevent further "spillover events" after Denmark ordered a national mink cull due to an outbreak of coronavirus infections in the animals.

Biden had more paths to victory open to him: Twenty-seven combinations of the remaining states would give the presidency, while only four different combinations would re-elect Trump and one path would result in a tie.

Oil fell more than 1% on Friday as new lockdowns in Europe to halt surging COVID19 infections sparked concern about the outlook for demand, while markets remained on edge over drawnout vote counting in the U.S. election.

Nineteen out of 50 states reporting record one-day increases on Thursday. Previously, most states that reported records for new cases in a single day was 16 on Oct. 30, according to Reuters data.

In the Georgia case, the campaign alleged that 53 late-arriving ballots were mixed with on-time ballots. In Michigan, it had sought to stop votes from being counted and obtain greater access to the tabulation process.

A suggestion by an ethics professor at a leading UK university that governments should pay citizens to get vaccinated against COVID19 has sparked debate over whether such incentives are ethical, or dangerous, and would boost or limit uptake.

Tens of thousands of stilluncounted ballots many in counties where Democrat Joe Biden was in the lead are what's making the Georgia contest between President Donald Trump and Biden too early to call.

To capture the White House, a candidate must amass at least 270 votes in the Electoral College.

Paris will ban delivery and takeaway services for prepared food and alcohol between 2200 and 0600 local time from Friday to limit the spread of the coronavirus, police said on Thursday.