North America

WASHINGTON (AP) — An IRS policy governing the audits of tax returns filed by U.S. presidents is under new scrutiny after a report published by a congressional panel found the agency failed to perform the mandatory inspection of Donald Trump’s returns until Congress pressed for information about the process.

WASHINGTON (AP) — An 800-page report set to be released Thursday by House investigators will conclude that then-President Donald Trump criminally plotted to overturn his 2020 election defeat and “provoked his supporters to violence” at the Capitol with false claims of widespread voter fraud.

The resulting Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection of Trump’s followers threatened democracy with “horrific” brutality toward law enforcement and “put the lives of American lawmakers at risk,” according to the report’s executive summary.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy told cheering U.S. legislators during a defiant wartime visit to the nation’s capital on Wednesday that against all odds his country still stands, thanking Americans for helping to fund the war effort with money that is “not charity,” but an “investment” in global security and democracy.

WASHINGTON, December 21. /TASS/: Russian citizen Yury Martyshev, who was convicted in the United States on cyber fraud charges, has been released from prison, according to the US Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP).

The BOP website, which tracks inmate status, says that he was released on December 20, 2022.

MEXICO CITY, Dec 21 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) — Mexico´s National Guard (GN) started off a security operation to escort caravans of national migrants returning from the United States.    

On weekend, a caravan -made up of 22 people passing through the state of Zacatecas- was assaulted by armed individuals who robbed their six private vehicles and belongings.

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — UN chief Antonio Guterres said he was pessimistic that Russia’s war in Ukraine would end soon but he hoped it would be over by the end of next year.

“I am not optimistic about the possibility of effective peace talks in the immediate future,” he told reporters Monday during his annual end-of-year press conference in New York.

It is ten months since Russia invaded its neighbor in late February.

On Monday, Russia launched a swarm of attack drones at critical infrastructure in Kyiv as the war showed no signs of relenting.

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico/WASHINGTON, Dec 20 (Reuters) - When Vladimir Castellanos learned that COVID-19 restrictions blocking him and other migrants from claiming asylum at the U.S. border with Mexico may not be terminated this week, he said he felt deceived.

Castellanos and his brother are Venezuelans, and they were among dozens of migrants gathered on both sides of the Rio Grande on Monday night in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and El Paso, Texas, with some lighting small fires to keep warm as temperatures dropped toward freezing.

CHICAGO, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Global seed maker Syngenta will release a new type of wheat developed with complex cross-breeding techniques in the United States next year, beating out rival companies that are also trying to develop higher yielding wheat at a time of diminishing global grain supplies.

The hybrid wheat, which combines positive traits from two parent plants, arrives after severe weather slashed grain harvests and the Ukraine war disrupted shipments to hungry importers, sending prices to record highs this spring.

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- A gala was held at Pacific Palms Resort in Los Angeles County Tuesday evening to commemorate the 51st anniversary of the Ping-Pong Diplomacy between China and the United States.

The event, jointly organized by the USA Table Tennis, Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles, and the All American Chinese Association, attracted more than 500 Chinese and American officials, athletes as well as international sports leaders and representatives from local Chinese communities.

LONDON (AP) — Thousands of ambulance workers in Britain began a one-day strike on Wednesday, with unions and the government swapping accusations of blame for putting lives at risk.

The government advised people not to play contact sports, take unnecessary car trips or get drunk in order to reduce their risk of needing an ambulance, as paramedics, call-handlers and technicians across England and Wales staged their biggest walkout in three decades.