North America

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. on Wednesday said it imposed a new round of sanctions on a group of 20 people and firms allegedly involved in a financial facilitation network for the benefit of the Iranian military.

The Treasury Department sanctions impact firms and people spanning Hong Kong to the United Arab Emirates.

Included in the sanctions package are employees, brokers and purchasers from Iranian firm Sepehr Energy, which is also subject to sanctions.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has embraced the rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as patriots, vowed to pardon a large portion of them if he wins a second term and even collaborated on a song with a group of jailed defendants.

In his election interference case in Washington, his lawyers are taking a different tack.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a challenge to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s ability to fight fraud, part of a broad attack on regulatory agencies led by conservative and business interests.

The case before the justices Wednesday involves the Biden administration’s appeal of a lower-court ruling that threw out stiff financial penalties imposed on hedge fund manager George R. Jarkesy by the SEC.

NEW YORK (AP) — An Indian government official directed a $100,000 plot to assassinate a prominent Sikh separatist leader in New York City after the man advocated for the establishment of a sovereign state for Sikhs, U.S. authorities announced Wednesday as they unsealed charges brought against a man from India who they say was part of the murder plot.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. life expectancy rose last year — by more than a year — but still isn’t close to what it was before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2022 rise was mainly due to the waning pandemic, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers said Wednesday. But even with the large increase, U.S. life expectancy is only back to 77 years, 6 months — about what it was two decades ago.

NEW YORK (AP) — Computer-generated writers ... writing computer-generated stories?

Sports Illustrated is the latest media company to see its reputation damaged by being less than forthcoming — if not outright dishonest — about who or what is writing its stories at the dawn of the artificial intelligence age.

The once-powerful publication said it was firing a company that produced articles for its website written under the byline of authors who apparently don’t exist. But it denied a published report that stories themselves were written by an artificial intelligence tool.

28 November 2023; MEMO: Nasser Beydoun revealed on social media that he had been contacted by the Israeli lobby group AIPAC and offered $20 million to run against Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib in Michigan. Beydoun is the second candidate who has been offered funds to run against Tlaib, with Senate candidate Hill Harper speaking of a similar offer last week.

NEW YORK, Nov 28 (NNN-XINHUA) – The United States Geological Survey reported a magnitude 6.5 quake in Papua New Guinea, near Wewak, East Sepik Province.

The earthquake hit at 7:46 am local time today, at a shallow depth of 12.3 km. The exact magnitude, epicentre, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes, as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.

Nov 27 (Reuters) - The man accused of shooting and wounding three college students of Palestinian descent in Burlington, Vermont, over the weekend pleaded not guilty to attempted murder charges on Monday and was ordered by a judge to remain held without bond.

Jason J. Eaton, 48, was arraigned in Chittenden County Criminal Court in Burlington, appearing via a video feed from the county jail where he has been detained since his arrest on Sunday, the day after the attack.

SACRAMENTO, the United States, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- Amid the debate on how school shooters obtain their firearms in the United States, a new study revealed that most of the weapons were stolen from family members or relatives.

The study, published Monday in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, analyzed 253 school shootings executed by 262 adolescents in the country between 1990 and 2016.