A preponderance of evidence proves the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic leaked from a Chinese research facility, said a report by U.S. Republicans released on Monday, a conclusion that U.S. intelligence agencies have not reached. The report also cited “ample evidence” that Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) scientists – …
Read More »Military drills with US must ‘not heighten tensions’, South Korea says after warning from Pyongyang
South Korean officials said a decision on the annual August drills with the US has not yet been finalized, and joint exercises should not raise tensions, following a strong warning from Pyongyang. “The timing and method [of the drills] were not finalized,” South Korean Defense Ministry spokesperson Boo Seung-chan told …
Read More »Biden administration to announce new refugee program for Afghans with US ties
US President Joe Biden’s administration will launch a new program to resettle certain Afghans as refugees in the US, an administration official and two knowledgeable sources said on Sunday. The US State Department was expected to announce the setting-up of the so-called Priority Two refugee program on Monday, the three …
Read More »US COVID-19 eviction ban expires, leaving renters at risk
A pandemic-related U.S. government ban on residential evictions expired at midnight on Saturday, putting millions of American renters at risk of being forced from their homes. The expiration was a blow to President Joe Biden, who on Thursday made a last-ditch request to Congress to extend the moratorium, citing the …
Read More »Police: 10 shot in Queens by 2 men who fled on mopeds
Two men strode up to a crowd outside a barbershop in the New York City borough of Queens and opened fire, wounding 10 people before fleeing on mopeds, police said Sunday morning. The shooting in the borough’s Corona neighborhood took place just before 11 p.m. Saturday. The eight men and …
Read More »Anger as top Republican jokes about hitting US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
The top Republican in the US House of Representatives faced calls to apologize or resign Sunday after joking about hitting Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the head with a gavel. It was the latest round in a nasty spat between the Republican minority leader Kevin McCarthy and Pelosi, the chamber’s top …
Read More »US COVID spike: ‘More pain and suffering’ ahead, says Fauci
The rise in US coronavirus cases amid the spread of the Delta variant prompts renewed call for more Americans to get vaccinated. The top infectious disease expert in the United States has warned that the country will experience more “pain and suffering in the future” as coronavirus infections are surging, …
Read More »Trump due $1 mln tax refund for Chicago skyscraper, local officials try to block it
An Illinois tax agency has ruled that former President Donald Trump is due a $1 million refund on the 2011 tax bill for his downtown Chicago skyscraper, but local officials are trying to block the refund.
Read More »Ammunition shelves bare as US gun sales continue to soar
The COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with record sales of firearms, has fueled a shortage of ammunition in the United States that’s impacting law enforcement agencies, people seeking personal protection, recreational shooters, and hunters — and could deny new gun owners the practice they need to handle their weapons safely. Manufacturers say …
Read More »TikTok star dies days after movie theater shooting
Barajas, 19, was one of two people shot during a screening of “The Forever Purge” at the Regal Edwards Theatre in Corona, California.
Read More »US issues new Cuba sanctions, Biden promises more to come
The United States imposed sanctions on the Cuban police force and two of its leaders on Friday in response to the Havana government’s crackdown on protesters, and President Joe Biden promised Cuban-American leaders more actions were coming. The U.S. Treasury Department said the sanctions, which appeared to be largely symbolic, …
Read More »US says seizes tanker used to evade North Korea sanctions
The U.S. Justice Department (DoJ) on Friday announced the seizure of a 2,734-ton tanker it said was owned and operated by a Singaporean national and used to make shipments of petroleum products to North Korea in violation of international sanctions. A DoJ statement said the M/T Courageous was seized by …
Read More »Olympics | US and Canada Soccer teams set up a semi-final date with shootout wins
Megan Rapinoe converted the deciding penalty in a shootout and the United States advanced to the semifinals of the women’s Olympic soccer tournament 4-2 following a 2-2 draw with the Netherlands on Friday. United States goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher stopped Vivianne Meidema’s opening attempt in the shootout. She then saved a …
Read More »At least 5 injured after ‘rare & violent’ tornadoes tear through eastern Pennsylvania (Videos)
Two powerful tornadoes have wrought a path of destruction though parts of eastern Pennsylvania, leaving at least five people injured as authorities in one hard-hit county declared a “mass casualty” event. The pair of twisters touched down in Pennsylvania’s Bucks County on Thursday, virtually destroying a car dealership and a …
Read More »Hong Kong man jailed for nine years in first national security case (Pictures)
The first person convicted under Hong Kong’s national security law was jailed for nine years on Friday for terrorist activities and inciting secession, judges said, in a watershed ruling with long-term implications for the city’s judicial landscape. Former waiter Tong Ying-kit, 24, was accused of driving his motorcycle into three …
Read More »WSJ: US plans sanctions campaign on Iran’s drones, guided missiles programs
The United States is reportedly planning a sanctions campaign against Iran’s defensive drones and guided missiles program, six months after the administration of Joe Biden, who had promised to rejoin the Iran nuclear deal and remove anti-Iran sanctions, assumed office. The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed US officials, said the …
Read More »First evacuation flight of Afghans lands in US: Biden
Some 200 Afghans were set to begin new lives in the United States on Friday as an airlift got underway for translators and others who risk Taliban retaliation because they worked for the US government during its 20-year war in Afghanistan, US officials said. The operation to evacuate US-affiliated Afghans …
Read More »Magnitude 8.2 earthquake strikes off Alaska, tsunami warnings issued (Videos)
“The biggest threat would be any potential tsunami risk,” a USGS geophysicist said. Tsunami warnings were issued for parts of Alaska after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 8.2 struck off the peninsula’s coast early Thursday. The tremblor struck around 50 miles south of Perryville, a small town of …
Read More »Coronavirus: Walt Disney World reinstates mask wearing rules amid surge in cases
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 …
Read More »US, Russia hold ‘professional’ arms talks despite tensions
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 …
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