North America

USA: Nancy Pelosi says she’ll seek House reelection in 2024, dismissing talk of retirement at age 83

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday that she will seek reelection to Congress in 2024 as Democrats try to win back the majority.

Pelosi, 83, made the announcement before volunteers and labor allies in the San Francisco area district she has represented for more than 35 years.

USA: Georgia special grand jury recommended charges against 39 people, including Sen. Lindsey Graham

ATLANTA (AP) — The special grand jury that investigated efforts by Donald Trump and others to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results recommended indictments against twice as many people as the 19 ultimately charged by prosecutors, leaving South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham among those not indicted.

The grand jurors’ report released Friday showed they recommended charges against 39 people, including Graham, former U.S. Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue of Georgia and former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Canada: Trial of whitist terrorist who killed 4 members of Muslim family begins

05 September 2023; MEMO: The trial of a man accused in a hate-motivated murder of four members of a Muslim family began Tuesday in a Canadian court, Anadolu Agency reports.

Nathaniel Veltman allegedly drove his vehicle on 6 June, 2021, onto the sidewalk and into the Afzaal family, who were out for an evening walk in London, Ontario, west of Toronto.

Pentagon cancels flight test of first US hypersonic missile

NEW YORK, September 7. /TASS/: The Pentagon has decided to scrap a test of the US Army’s first hypersonic weapon, the Defense Department told Bloomberg.

"The department planned to conduct a flight test at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida to inform our hypersonic technology development but as a result of pre-flight checks the test did not occur," the Pentagon said in a statement.

UN chief calls air pollution ‘Global Emergency’, stresses fossil fuels’ phase out

UNITED NATIONS, Sep 07 (APP): Marking the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies on Thursday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a clarion call for increased international cooperation to address the “global emergency” of worsening air pollution.

Airborne contaminants are one of the most significant environmental health risks, he said. According to the UN World Health Organization (WHO), 99 per cent of the world’s population breathes polluted air, with the exposure significantly worse in low and middle-income countries.

USA: Moderna, Pfizer say updated COVID shots generate strong response vs newer variant

Sept 6 (Reuters) - Moderna (MRNA.O) and rival Pfizer (PFE.N) on Wednesday said their updated COVID-19 vaccines generated strong responses in testing against the highly mutated BA.2.86 subvariant of the coronavirus that has raised fears of a resurgence of infections.

USA: Biden bets on emerging markets as Xi snubs G20

WASHINGTON, Sept 7 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden arrives at this weekend's Group of 20 (G20) meeting in India with an offer for the "Global South": whatever happens to China's economy, the United States can help fund your development.

Armed with cash for the World Bank and promises of sustained U.S. engagement, Biden hopes to persuade fast-growing economies in Africa, Latin America and Asia that there is an alternative to China's Belt and Road project, which has funneled billions of dollars to developing countries but left many deeply in debt.

U.S. announces 1 bln USD in new aid for Ukraine as Blinken visits Kiev

WASHINGTON, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Department of State announced 1 billion U.S. dollars in new aid for Ukraine on Wednesday while Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a surprise visit to Kiev to show support.

The State Department said in a fact sheet that the new package includes an additional drawdown of up to 175 million dollars worth of weapons and equipment from the Department of Defense's inventories.

USA: Texas AG Ken Paxton’s orders to help donor rattled office, former aides say at impeachment trial

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — An extramarital affair Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had with a donor’s employee helped connect the dots about why the Republican was using his power in ways that are now at the center of his impeachment trial on accusations of corruption, a former top aide testified Wednesday.

“It answered that ‘why’ question,” said Jeff Mateer, who was Paxton’s second-in-command at the Texas attorney general’s office.

USA: Presidential centers from Hoover to Bush and Obama unite to warn of fragile state of US democracy

WASHINGTON (AP) — Concern for U.S. democracy amid deep national polarization has prompted the entities supporting 13 presidential libraries dating back to Herbert Hoover to call for a recommitment to the country’s bedrock principles, including the rule of law and respecting a diversity of beliefs.

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