North America

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of flight delays and cancellations rippled across the U.S. early Wednesday after computer outage led to a grounding order for all departing aircraft by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The FAA is working to restore what is known as the Notice to Air Missions System.

WASHINGTON, Jan 10 (NNN-XINHUA) – U.S. President, Joe Biden, will host his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, for a visit to the United States, in early Feb, according to a joint statement issued yesterday, following a call between the two presidents, in wake of violent attacks on Brazil’s government buildings.

The visit, for which an invitation from Biden was accepted by Lula da Silva, was intended to serve as an opportunity for the two leaders, to have “in-depth consultations on a wide-ranging shared agenda,” the joint statement said.

WASHINGTON, Jan 9 (Reuters) - (This Jan. 9 story has been refiled to fix the spelling of "name" to "named" in paragraph 4)

Classified documents from Joe Biden's vice-presidential days were discovered in November by the U.S. president's personal attorneys at a Washington think tank, a White House lawyer said on Monday.

NEW YORK, Jan 10 (Reuters) - A longtime executive for Donald Trump is expected to be sent to New York's notorious Rikers Island jail after being sentenced on Tuesday for helping engineer a 15-year tax fraud scheme at the former president's real estate company.

Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization's former chief financial officer, pleaded guilty in August, admitting that from 2005 to 2017 he and other executives received bonuses and perks that saved the company and themselves money.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Monday to keep a key border crossing from Turkey to Syria’s rebel-held northwest open for critical aid deliveries for another six months. Syria’s ally Russia — in a surprise move — supported the resolution.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said after the vote that cross-border aid remains “an indispensable lifeline for 4.1 million people in northwest Syria.”

TORONTO (AP) — Canada will spend billions to purchase 88 F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin Corp. in a deal announced Monday that aims to end years of deliberations over its aging fleet and fulfill obligations to defend North America’s air space.

The first four aircraft are anticipated to be delivered in 2026 with full operational capacity for the fleet expected between 2032 and 2034.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve has only a limited role to play in combating climate change, Chair Jerome Powell said Tuesday, a stance that puts him at odds with environmental activists who have pushed central banks worldwide to take steps to restrict lending to energy companies.

Maintaining the Fed’s independence, Powell said, includes steering clear of issues that are more properly overseen by elected officials.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — President Joe Biden, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are meeting for a series of talks on migration, trade and climate change on Tuesday as the three leaders try to mend tensions that have divided the continent.

The three-way gathering is held most years, although there was a hiatus while Donald Trump was U.S. president. It’s often called the “three amigos summit,” a reference to the deep diplomatic and economic ties among the countries.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is moving forward with a proposal that would lower student debt payments for millions of Americans now and in the future, offering a new route to repay federal loans under far more generous terms.

President Joe Biden announced the repayment plan in August, but it was overshadowed by his sweeping plan to slash or eliminate student debt for 40 million Americans. Despite the low profile of the payment plan, however, some education experts see it as a more powerful tool to make college affordable, especially for those with lower incomes.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The global economy will come “perilously close” to a recession this year, led by weaker growth in all the world’s top economies — the United States, Europe and China — the World Bank warned Tuesday.