North America

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A child marriage bill is heading to the West Virginia governor’s desk after lawmakers agreed to let 16- and 17-year-olds get married with restrictions.

The House of Delegates passed the bill 83-9 without debate Saturday, a day after the Senate easily endorsed it after making changes to an earlier House version. Republican Gov. Jim Justice hasn’t publicly indicated whether he’ll sign it.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who quickly shot from political newcomer to potential 2024 Republican presidential candidate, kicked off his state’s legislative session in January by telling lawmakers that he wanted “to get more done and to get it done faster.”

As the dust settles on his second session working with Virginia’s politically divided General Assembly, the former private equity executive has earned a series of wins, including measures taking a tougher stance against China, that his allies say could help him in a possible White House race.

NEW YORK (AP) — It was called Silicon Valley Bank, but its collapse is causing shockwaves around the world.

From winemakers in California to startups across the Atlantic Ocean, companies are scrambling to figure out how to manage their finances after their bank suddenly shut down Friday. The meltdown means distress not only for businesses but also for all their workers whose paychecks may get tied up in the chaos.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday harshly criticized former President Donald Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, widening the rift between the two men as they prepare to battle over the Republican nomination in next year’s election.

HAVANA, March 11 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) — A total of 2,724 migrants have been deported to Cuba so far this year, in 44 operations from several regional countries, Cuba´s Interior Ministry (MININT) reported.    

Such a figure was reached on Friday as 26 irregular migrants were handed over by the US Coast Guard at the Port of Orozco, in Bahía Honda municipality, in the western province of Artemisa.

These migrants had been previously involved in four other illegal boatlifts from Cuba and were later intercepted.

UNITED NATIONS, March 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United Nations has released a plan to offload 1 million barrels of oil off a rusting supertanker that has been moored off the coast of Yemen for more than 30 years.

In an attempt to avert what could be one of the worst environmental disasters in history, a very large crude carrier was purchased by the UN to get the oil off the FSO Safer.

UNITED NATIONS, March 11 (NNN-XINHUA) — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the elimination of “poison” of anti-Muslim bias at an event marking the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.

“I thank Pakistan and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation for focusing attention – and calling for action – to stamp out the poison of Islamophobia,” the top UN official said at the high-level special event marking the International Day to Combat Islamophobia at the UN headquarters in New York.

PANAMA CITY, March 11 (Reuters) - Panama's Maritime Authority has lifted a suspension on First Quantum Minerals' operations at the port of Punta Rincon, which the Canadian company uses to export copper concentrate from its key Cobre Panama mine, company sources said late on Friday.

Two spokespersons for Minera Panama, First Quantum's (FM.TO) Panama unit, told Reuters the suspension dated Jan. 26 had been ended, which was confirmed by a source at the Maritime Authority.

March 11 (Reuters) - The cost of expanding U.S. Medicare prescription drug coverage to pay for expensive, new obesity medications could be catastrophic, health economists warned in a report published on Saturday.

Big-selling diabetes drugs have been repurposed as obesity treatments after demonstrating weight loss of more than 20% in clinical trials. While they are far more effective than older drugs, lifetime use might be required to keep lost weight off.

CHAMPLAIN, New York and WASHINGTON, March 11 (Reuters) - Bookseller Zulema Diaz fled her native Peru after being kidnapped, beaten and robbed, hoping to find safety in the United States. Instead, she said she experienced homelessness and sexual harassment as she worked off-the-books on a hospital cleaning crew.

So when Diaz, 46, heard New York City was distributing free bus tickets, she said she hopped on a bus for Plattsburgh, a town close to the Canadian border, then took a taxi to the irregular crossing at Roxham Road to enter Canada and file an asylum claim.