Democratic US presidential candidate Joe Biden and his newly chosen running mate Kamala Harris campaigned together for the first time today. The former primary rivals sought to solidify their advantage over President Donald Trump. Biden embraced the significance of naming the first Black woman to a major party's presidential ticket, saying representation matters. Biden says Harris is the right woman to help him defeat Trump and then lead a nation facing crises in triplicate, a pandemic, wounded economy and systemic racism. Biden says it's no surprise President Donald Trump is already attacking

President Donald Trump says he's ``a little surprised'' that his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, has selected Kamala Harris as his running mate. Trump told reporters at a White House briefing that Harris ``was very disrespectful to Joe Biden'' during the Democratic primaries, and said ``it's hard to pick somebody that's that disrespectful.'' He's also noting that Harris ''did very poorly'' when she ran for the nomination, she dropped out in December, and says, ``That's like a poll.'' Trump is trying to paint Harris as too far left, saying she wants to raise taxes, slash funds for the militarily

Joe Biden named California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate on Tuesday, making history by selecting the first Black woman to compete on a major party’s presidential ticket and acknowledging the vital role Black voters will play in his bid to defeat President Donald Trump.In choosing Harris, Biden is embracing a former rival from the Democratic primary who is familiar with the unique rigour of a national campaign. Harris, a 55-year-old first-term senator, is also one of the party’s most prominent figures and quickly became a top contender for the No. 2 spot after her own White House c

Lebanon's president is confirming top leaders and security officials were aware of the 2750 tonnes of highly explosive ammonium nitrate stored in a waterfront warehouse since 2013. Michel Aoun says he was told nearly three weeks ago about the massive stockpile of explosive chemicals and immediately ordered action taken. But he says he had no authority over the facility. President Michel Aoun said several governments in charge since 2013 received repeated warning about the material. Aoun is suggesting the explosion was either an act of negligence or "external intervention" by a missile or

US President Donald Trump is re-imposing tariffs on Canadian aluminum. Trump says he signed a proclamation today that will restore the 10 per cent tariffs. He says ``Canada was taking advantage of us, as usual.'' In a speech at a Whirlpool factory in Ohio, Trump touted his record of defending American workers. The Aluminium Association of Canada said last week the exports in question fell 16 per cent in June and 40 per cent in July as the system was starting to re-balance amid the pandemic.

Canada is emphasizing the need for economic and political reform in Lebanon over the long term as it looks at immediate ways to help the country following this week's deadly explosion in Beirut.Canada has so far promised $5 million in emergency aid and International Development Minister Karina Gould says the federal government is committed to helping Lebanon as it begins to recover from the blast.Yet Gould emphasized long-standing Canadian calls for economic and political change in the country to address many of the root problems that have left Lebanon one of the most indebted countries in th

International aid flights are arriving in Lebanon, as the government struggles to deal with the aftermath of the massive blast that killed at least 135 and sent thousands more to hospital. Investigators are looking into why nothing was done about 2,750 tonnes of highly explosive ammonium nitrate stored at the port for six years. Search and rescue teams, medical personnel, humanitarian support packages and equipment designed to find trapped victims are being sent from countries like Australia and Indonesia as well as Europe. Russia's Ministry for Emergencies says that its first plane carrying

A massive explosion has shaken Lebanon's capital Beirut, wounding a number people and causing widespread damage.The afternoon blast shook several parts of the capital and thick smoke billowed from the city centre.Residents reported windows being blown out and a false ceilings dropping.The explosion appeared to be centred around Beirut's port and caused wide scale destruction and shattered windows miles away.An Associated Press photographer near Beirut's port witnessed people wounded on the ground and widespread destruction in central Beirut.Some local TV stations reported the blast was at Beir

The COVID-19 death toll in the US has now hit 150,000. The total reported by Johns Hopkins University is the highest by far in the world. A number of states in the Sunbelt had seen surges in cases, with Florida reporting 216 today. South Carolina's death toll has more than doubled over the past month, surpassing 15-hundred earlier this week. More than 4.5 million people have been tested positive for COVID-19 in US so far.