North America

HONOLULU, the United States, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- As rescue workers continue looking for those missing in the deadly wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui, real estate investors, mostly from the American mainland, have seen an opportunity to cash in on the disaster for land development, triggering anger among local Native Hawaiians.

The wildfires that broke out last Tuesday and razed Maui have left 106 people dead and more than 1,000 people missing as of Tuesday, becoming the deadliest in the United States in over a century.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is ramping up its efforts to illustrate the real-world impact of President Joe Biden’s signature climate, health care and tax law by showing how various Americans say they’ve benefited from his economic policies on the anniversary of the so-called Inflation Reduction Act.

Coinbase said it’s received regulatory approval to bring federally regulated crypto futures trading to eligible customers in the U.S., sending shares sharply higher before the opening bell Wednesday.

In June, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed lawsuits against Binance and Coinbase, saying that the companies were in violation of the the law because they were operating as securities exchanges without registering with the agency.

Washington (AP) — Congressional leaders are pitching a stopgap government funding package to avoid a federal shutdown after next month, acknowledging the House and Senate are nowhere near agreement on spending levels to keep federal operations running.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy raised the idea of a months-long funding package, known as a continuing resolution, to House Republicans on a members-only call Monday evening, according to those familiar with the private session and granted anonymity to discuss it.

HAMBURG, Calif. (AP) — A wildfire pushed by gusty winds from a thunderstorm raced through national forest land near California’s border with Oregon, prompting evacuations in the rural area.

The blaze in Siskiyou County, dubbed the Head Fire, was one of at least 19 fires — most of them tiny — that erupted in the Klamath National Forest as thunderstorms rolling through the area brought lightning and downdrafts that drove the flames through timber and rural lands. Estimates late Tuesday placed the fire at 4.7 to 6.3 square miles (12.2 to 16.2 square kilometers) in size.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans are deeply divided along party lines in their views of President Donald Trump’s actions in the most recent criminal cases brought against him, a new poll shows, with about half saying his alleged attempt to interfere in Georgia’s 2020 vote count was illegal.

16 August 2023; MEMO: Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said Tuesday that there has been no change to the US’s approach to Iran after the nations struck a tentative prisoner swap deal last week, Anadolu Agency reports.

“The agreement that we’re pursuing to bring home those who are wrongfully detained in Iran is an entirely separate matter that we want to bring to a successful conclusion,” Blinken told reporters at the State Department.

YELLOWKNIFE (Northwest Territories, Canada), Aug 15 (NNN-XINHUA) — Yellowknife, the capital city of the Northwest Territories, Canada, declared a state of local emergency due to surrounding wildfires on Monday night.

The declaration was passed at an emergency council meeting Monday evening. The city said on its official social media that it can exercise precautionary practices and acquire the equipment and resources needed to keep Yellowknife safe.

Aug 15 (Reuters) - The death toll after an explosion near the Dominican Republic capital on Monday has risen to at least 12, CNN said in a news report, citing the Dominican Red Cross.

Initial victims included a four-month-old baby and two adults, the national health service said in a statement on Monday.

Another 65 people were injured and some 55 people are missing after the explosion at a business in San Cristobal, west of the country's capital Santo Domingo, the CNN report said.

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- U.S. payments giant PayPal announced Monday that its senior Intuit executive Alex Chriss will become the new president and CEO, replacing current CEO Dan Schulman.

The members of PayPal's board shared the appointment, effective on Sept. 27, 2023, in a press release.

Chriss joined Intuit 19 years ago. Since January 2019, he served as Executive Vice President and General Manager of Intuit's Small Business and Self-Employed Group.