North America

WASHINGTON (AP) — If you’ve heard it once in a president’s State of the Union speech, you’ve heard it 100 times: There is nothing the American people can’t do when they pull together.

But you haven’t heard that thought in a State of Union address from William Shakespeare: “Lo,” said the bard. “With kindness, love, and understanding clear, we shall conquer all, and have naught to fear.”

Nor from the noggin-knocking Three Stooges of last century’s fame: “We just put our heads together, come up with a plan, and bam! Problem solved!”

WASHINGTON (AP) — A majority of Democrats now think one term is plenty for President Joe Biden, despite his insistence that he plans to seek reelection in 2024.

That’s according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research that shows just 37% of Democrats say they want him to seek a second term, down from 52% in the weeks before last year’s midterm elections.

05 Feb 2023; MEMO: Cuba's President, Miguel Diaz-Canel has praised Iran for its advancements in science and technology under the pressure of US-led sanctions during a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian in Havana yesterday.

Diaz-Canel also expressed his country's willingness to strengthen bilateral ties with Tehran and noted that developments in Latin America and the world offer new opportunities to fortify multilateralism, Tasnim News Agency reported.

HAVANA, Feb (NNN-ACN) — Cuban PM Manuel Marrero Cruz participates virtually in the session of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council, held in the city of Almaty, Kazakhstan.

On Twitter, the Cuban premier thanked for the invitation to participate in this meeting of the Council, a body of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) composed of the Heads of Government of the member states.

Marrero Cruz also announced that the third session of the Cuba-Eurasian Economic Commission Joint Commission will soon be held in Havana.

EAST PALESTINE (Ohio, US), Feb 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A cargo train derailed in the midwestern United States, sparking a massive fire and triggering the release of small amounts of vinyl chloride, a hazardous chemical, officials said Saturday.

No injuries or fatalities were reported after around 50 cars of the 140-car train came off the tracks late Friday near the Ohio-Pennsylvania state border.

The Norfolk Southern train was shipping cargo from Madison, Illinois, to Conway, Pennsylvania, when it derailed in East Palestine, Ohio.

Feb 5 (Reuters) - The Canadian government said on Sunday it deployed a military aircraft over Haiti to address what it called a "dire security situation" and to support efforts to disrupt the activities of Haitian gangs.

Canada said in a statement that it supports the Haitian National Police and deployed a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CP-140 Aurora long-range patrol aircraft in response to Haiti's request for support as violence continues to escalate in the country.

Feb 5 (Reuters) - A political advocacy group backed by billionaire businessman Charles Koch is preparing to get involved in the primaries for the 2024 U.S. Presidential elections, saying it wanted to back a candidate who could "lead the country forward", a memo released on Sunday said.

The group, Americans for Prosperity (AFP), has not previously supported candidates in presidential elections but said in the memo the best thing for the country would be to have a president in 2025 who "represents a new chapter."

Feb 4 (Reuters) - A federal law prohibiting marijuana users from possessing firearms is unconstitutional, a federal judge in Oklahoma has concluded, citing last year's U.S. Supreme Court ruling that significantly expanded gun rights.

U.S. District Judge Patrick Wyrick, an appointee of former Republican President Donald Trump in Oklahoma City, on Friday dismissed an indictment against a man charged in August with violating that ban, saying it infringed his right to bear arms under the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment.

UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- UN special envoy for Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, on Thursday called on Iraq's political class to take advantage of the present climate to end chronic cycles of instability.

Following a year of tensions and political discord, Hennis-Plasschaert expressed hope that the confirmation of the new government will provide a chance to structurally address the country's pressing issues.

HAVANA, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Fire crews continued to battle a large-scale wildfire in Cuba's eastern province of Holguin, local media reported Saturday.

The blaze raged across the mountainous region of El Prado, some 800 km east of the capital Havana, burning over 1,000 hectares of forest, daily newspaper Granma reported.

No casualties or injuries have been reported, yet an emergency evacuation plan is underway in nearby mountainous rural communities.

The fire comes as a severe and prolonged drought continues to affect eastern Cuba.