North America

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Only 16 percent of public education funding goes to the poorest 20 percent of learners, while 28 percent goes to the richest 20 percent, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said in a report published Tuesday, highlighting global educational inequality.

Children from the poorest households benefit the least from national public education funding, UNICEF said in the report titled "Transforming Education with Equitable Financing," which looks at government spending from pre-primary through tertiary education in 102 countries.

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Another storm lashed California on Monday, bringing more rain, flooding and snow to the U.S. Golden State.

A series of winter storms have battered California for weeks, causing mudslides, widespread flooding and damage.

At least 19 deaths have been reported in the state in the past two weeks of storms, many from drowning and fallen trees.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said last week the storms had claimed more lives than wildfires in the past two years combined, and noted that the number of deaths is likely to grow.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The man who was once Mexico’s top security official and in charge of fighting the drug cartels goes on trial Tuesday on charges he accepted millions of dollars in bribes in exchange for helping the powerful Sinaloa Cartel move drugs and its members avoid capture.

Genaro García Luna was best known as the mumbling, tough-looking former security secretary under ex-President Felipe Calderón who spearheaded the bloody war on cartels between 2006 and 2012.

FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — Police in Florida said eight people were shot during an Martin Luther King Jr. Day event, with one of the victims listed in critical condition.

The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office confirmed all the victims in the Monday shooting in Fort Pierce were adults, WPBF-TV reported.

The shooting occurred at Ilous Ellis Park at 5:20 p.m. during an MLK Car Show and Family Fun Day, which the sheriff’s office said was attended by more than 1,000 people, the TV station reported.

A failed Republican candidate who authorities said was angry over his defeat and made baseless claims the election last November was “rigged” against him was arrested in connection with a series of drive-by shootings targeting the homes of Democratic lawmakers in New Mexico’s largest city.

Solomon Pena, 39, was arrested Monday evening, just hours after SWAT officers took him into custody and served search warrants at his home, police said.

17 Jan 2023; MEMO: US President Joe Biden has instructed Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin to prepare an emergency plan to establish an American military industrial base in the Kingdom of Morocco, the New York Daily News has reported. The plan was proposed during a high-level meeting at the end of December when Biden and Austin discussed America's new global military strategy.

NEW YORK, Jan 16 (NNN-XINHUA) – Oil prices, boosted by improved demand outlook in China, rose, bringing both the U.S. and the global crude benchmarks to gain more than eight percent for the week.

The West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for Feb delivery climbed 1.47 U.S. dollars, or 1.9 percent, to settle at 79.86 dollars a barrel, on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude for March delivery added 1.25 dollars, or 1.5 percent, to settle at 85.28 dollars a barrel, on the London ICE Futures Exchange.

WASHINGTON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - The Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee on Sunday demanded visitor logs for President Joe Biden's house in Wilmington, Delaware, after classified documents were found in his office and garage.

"Without a list of individuals who have visited his residence, the American people will never know who had access to these highly sensitive documents," Representative James Comer said in a letter to White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain dated Sunday.

GUERNEVILLE, Calif., Jan 15 (Reuters) - Storm-lashed California is bracing for what may be a final battering of rain and snow starting late Sunday, adding to the damage unleashed by a weather system that has caused severe flooding and killed at least 19 people across the state.

Residents across a swath of central and southern California should prepare for heavy rainfall and snow, with the potential for flooding and mudslides in a region saturated after three weeks of storms, the National Weather Service said.

LOS ANGELES, Jan 15 (Reuters) - The mayor of New York traveled to the Mexican border city of El Paso on Sunday and declared that "there is no room in New York" for busloads of migrants being sent to America's most populous city.

Eric Adams, a Democrat, was also critical of the administration of Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden, saying "now is the time for the national government to do its job" about the immigrant crisis at America's southern border.

The visit of a New York mayor to a southern border city about the issue of immigrants is unprecedented.