USA

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s top aide told Democratic lawmakers that the administration took months to release data revealing how many people living at nursing homes died of COVID-19 because officials “froze” over worries the information was “going to be used against us.”

(AP) --- The nation’s top public health agency said Friday that in-person schooling can resume safely with masks, social distancing and other strategies, and vaccination of teachers, while important, is not a prerequisite for reopening.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s impeachment lawyers accused Democrats of waging a campaign of “hatred” against the former president as they sped through their defense of his actions and fiery words before the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, hurtling the Senate toward a final vote in his historic trial.

NEW YORK, Feb 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Biden administration asked a US court to suspend litigation connected to former president Donald Trump’s proposed ban on WeChat while it reviews the policy.

The Justice Department filed a request with the US Court of Appeals seeking a suspension of the case. That follows action Wednesday when the department asked a federal court for a pause on proceedings aimed at banning TikTok.

WASHINGTON, Feb 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A bipartisan majority of the US Senate urged President Joe Biden’s administration to push Turkey to do more to protect human rights.

Fifty-four of the 100 senators signed the letter, which accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of marginalizing domestic opposition, silencing critical media, jailing journalists and purging independent judges.

12 Feb 2021; MEMO: The past few years have witnessed a significant rise in anti-Zionism across colleges and universities in the United States, a new study has found.

Washington, Feb 12 (PTI) The US has welcomed the ongoing efforts by India and China to de-escalate the situation in eastern Ladakh and said it would continue to monitor the situation closely as both sides work toward a peaceful resolution.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday announced in Parliament that India and China have reached an agreement on disengagement in the North and South banks of Pangong lake in eastern Ladakh that mandates both sides to cease forward deployment of troops in a "phased, coordinated and verifiable" manner.

United Nations, Feb 12 (AP-PTI) Russia clashed with the United States and its Western allies Thursday over the nearly seven-year conflict in eastern Ukraine, and the U.N. warned that the current fragile cease-fire risks being reversed if peace negotiations become deadlocked.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- The United States on Thursday announced a series of sanctions against multiple Myanmar's military leaders and entities.

The Department of the Treasury said in a statement that it designated 10 current and former military officials and blacklisted three entities related to military or security forces of Myanmar.

According to a fact sheet issued by the White House, the Department of Commerce also limited exports of sensitive goods to Myanmar's military and other entities.

(AP) --- Facing criticism that President Joe Biden has not acted aggressively enough on reopening schools, the White House on Thursday said it’s aiming for a full reopening but will defer to science experts on how to achieve it in the middle of a pandemic.

The White House drew criticism this week when it said schools would be considered opened if they teach in-person at least one day a week. Asked about it Thursday, press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden hopes to get students in the classroom five days a week as soon as it’s safe.