North America

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The FBI on Thursday arrested a businessman at the center of the scandal that led to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s historic impeachment, a move that came amid new questions about the men’s dealings raised by financial records the Republican’s lawyers made public to try to clear him of bribery allegations.

NEW YORK (AP) — Two apologetic lawyers responding to an angry judge in Manhattan federal court blamed ChatGPT Thursday for tricking them into including fictitious legal research in a court filing.

Attorneys Steven A. Schwartz and Peter LoDuca are facing possible punishment over a filing in a lawsuit against an airline that included references to past court cases that Schwartz thought were real, but were actually invented by the artificial intelligence-powered chatbot.

09 June 2023; MEMO: The UN is gathering evidence that could potentially be used in future prosecutions of those involved in Israel's expulsion of French-Palestinian human rights lawyer, Salah Hamouri.

08 June 2023; MEMO: A visit by the US Secretary of State to Saudi Arabia drew little Saudi media coverage on Thursday, at a time of soured relations despite a US push to defuse rows that have touched on oil prices, human rights and Riyadh's opening to Iran, Reuters reports.

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 08 (APP): Pakistan was on Thursday elected to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the economic arm of the United Nations, for a three-year term, beginning January 1, 2024, with Ambassador Munir Akram saying that the success was a recognition of “our positive role in international diplomacy”.

In balloting in the 193-member General Assembly, Pakistan received 129 votes.

Pakistan was contesting one of three Asian seats – also being contested by Iraq, Japan, Nepal and Tajikistan.

A two-third majority – 124 votes – was required for election.

WASHINGTON, June 8 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden's White House Pride Month celebration, expected to be the largest in history, will be postponed from Thursday evening until Saturday, officials said, as Washington is enveloped in a cloud of smoke from Canadian wildfires.

"Today’s Pride event on the White House South Lawn will be postponed until Saturday based on the projected air quality in the region," the White House said in a statement.

OTTAWA, June 7 (Reuters) - Hundreds of uncontrolled forest fires blazed across Canada on Wednesday, threatening critical infrastructure, forcing evacuations and sending a blanket of smoky air wafting over U.S. cities.

Wildfires are common in Canada's western provinces, but this year flames have mushroomed rapidly in the country's east, making it the worst-ever start to the season.

About 3.8 million hectares (9.4 million acres) have already burned, some 15 times the 10-year average, said Federal Minister of Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair.

WASHINGTON, June 8 (Reuters) - China has reached a secret deal with Cuba to establish an electronic eavesdropping facility on the island roughly 100 miles (160 km) from Florida, the Wall Street Journal said on Thursday, but the White House cast some doubt on the report.

Such a spy installation would allow Beijing to gather electronic communications from the southeastern U.S., which houses many U.S. military bases, as well as monitor ship traffic, the newspaper reported, citing U.S. officials familiar with classified intelligence.

WASHINGTON, June 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng said here Wednesday that the two countries need to uphold the principles of mutual respect, peaceful co-existence and win-win cooperation and explore the right way to get along in the new era.

Xie gave those remarks when delivering a keynote speech at an event hosted by the U.S.-China Business Council to welcome him as China's new ambassador to the United States.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — The emaciated inmate in black shorts lay on a thin mat in Haiti’s most notorious prison, isolated from other prisoners at Port-au-Prince’s National Penitentiary because of drug-resistant tuberculosis.

He slowly sat up to talk to a visiting reporter and more than 70 fellow tuberculosis patients gathered at the door of the neighboring cell to complain about their suffering while detained, many on minor charges like theft.

“We don’t have water!” one cried, while his fellow inmates said their food came late or not at all.