US & Canada

Beginning July 30, Walt Disney World in Florida will begin requiring attendees to wear face masks, as the US state sees a rise in COVID-19 cases. The new rules will apply to all guests aged two and up while indoors and using public transport facilities in the park, regardless of …

Senior diplomats from the United States and Russia held what the State Department described as “substantive and professional” talks on arms control and other strategic issues on Wednesday despite myriad other differences that have sent relations into a tailspin. The State Department said the discussions in Geneva produced no breakthroughs …

The United States will return to Iraq some 17,000 archaeological treasures dating back 4,000 years and looted in recent decades in an “unprecedented” restitution, the culture minister in Baghdad has said. Wednesday’s announcement came days after Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi met with US President Joe Biden in Washington, DC. …

The Pentagon and Republican congressmen on Tuesday aired fresh concerns about China’s build-up of its nuclear forces after a new report saying Beijing was building 110 more missile silos. An American Federation of Scientists (AFS) report on Monday said satellite images showed China was building a new field of silos …

Five people, including a deputy sheriff, were killed in a shooting spree and hostage-taking incident in the US State of California on Tuesday. A shooting and hostage-taking incident in the US State of California left five dead, “FOX 11” TV Network reported. According to the report, a shooting and hostage-taking …

California and New York City officials have ordered government workers to get fully vaccinated or face regular tests, ratcheting up the pressure on reluctant residents to curb rising COVID-19 cases blamed on the Delta variant. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday, “The Delta variant is deadly and …

A sandstorm caused a huge 22-vehicle pileup on a Utah highway that left eight people dead, including children, authorities said. The Sunday afternoon crashes on Interstate 15 near the town of Kanosh came at the end of a holiday weekend for the state that often leads to increased highway traffic. …

Thousands of US firefighters are battling a blaze in California that has grown so big it is generating its own weather system, with authorities warning conditions could worsen on Monday. The flames have grown so large that they have created clouds that can cause lightning and high winds, which in …

At least 430 people died in at least 915 shootings that took place across the United States last week, according to ABC News and the Gun Violence Archive. Also, 1,007 people were wounded in the shootings that occurred between Saturday, July 17, and Friday, July 23, according to ABC. The stunning …

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is heading to Southeast Asia to “strengthen relationships” with allies as the Biden administration intensifies efforts to counter China. Austin will become the first cabinet secretary to visit Southeast Asia this week since President Joe Biden took office six months ago. “You’ll hear me talk …

A ten-year-old boy in the United States’ Colorado has died from “causes associated with the plague”, according to the state’s officials, online news media The Hill reported on Saturday. After conducting lab tests, Colorado’s Department of Public Health and Environment confirmed in a statement released on Thursday the presence of …

US President Joe Biden is battling accusations that he used his vice presidential position in Barack Obama’s administration to meddle into his son Hunter Biden’s business deals while the latter was a board member of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma. Joe Biden is being accused of using several private e-mail …

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday said she plans to appoint additional Republicans, including a staunch Trump critic, to the committee probing the January 6 US Capitol insurrection, amid a fierce partisan showdown over who will serve on the body. Asked whether she would appoint a new set of Republicans …

US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman is to lead a high-level American delegation to hold strategic and arms control talks with Russian counterparts in Geneva, the State Department says. “This meeting follows up on a commitment made between President [Joe] Biden and Russian President [Vladimir] Putin to have a …

Californians are scrambling for fresh water as taps and wells run dry amid the severe drought across the West that is causing many problems. In the San Joaquin Valley in California, drought is threatening the drinking supply for thousands of rural residents, as well as the livelihoods for the farmers, …

US diplomatic trip comes 50 years after Henry Kissinger’s secret China visit that initiated relations between the two countries. On Sunday, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman – the US’s second-highest-ranking diplomat – will meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Tianjin, China in what looks set to be …

The Senate Armed Services Committee’s surprise decision to endorse a $25 billion increase to President Joe Biden’s already massive budget request for the Pentagon has angered progressive antiwar activists, who have been demanding cuts to US military spending. Narrowly controlled by Democrats, the Senate panel approved a $778 billion defense policy bill …

Outbreaks of a drug-resistant “superbug” fungus spread among patients in hospitals and long-term care facilities in Texas and Washington, D.C., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday. The fungus, Candida Auris, preys on people with weakened immune systems. The CDC said evidence suggests these cases involved person-to-person transmission, …

The Miami-Dade County fire and rescue department on Friday declared an end to its search for human remains in the rubble of a Florida condominium tower that collapsed on June 24, killing at least 97 people. Authorities said one victim was still believed to be unaccounted for. The Miami-Dade Police …

The US is preparing to evacuate thousands of Afghan special visa applicants who are at risk from the Taliban. US President Joe Biden has authorized up to $100m from an emergency fund to meet “unexpected urgent” refugee needs stemming from the situation in Afghanistan, including for Afghan special immigration visa …