North America

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Thousands of information technology workers contracting with U.S. companies have for years secretly sent millions of dollars of their wages to North Korea for use in its ballistic missile program, FBI and Department of Justice officials said.

Pasadena, Calif (AP) —CVS Health is pulling from its shelves some cough-and-cold treatments that contain an ingredient that has been deemed ineffective by doctors and researchers.

The drug store chain said it will remove a small number of oral decongestants that contain phenylephrine as the only active ingredient. CVS also said it will still sell “many other oral cough and cold products to meet consumer needs.”

A company spokeswoman declined to elaborate on how many products will be removed when contacted by The Associated Press Friday morning.

WASHINGTON (AP) — An Army private who fled to North Korea before being returned home to the United States last month has been detained by the U.S. military, two officials said Thursday night, and is facing charges including desertion and possessing sexual images of a child.

The eight counts against Pvt. Travis King are detailed in a charging document seen by The Associated Press. The officials who confirmed King’s confinement spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the charges have not been publicly announced.

HOUSTON (AP) — A Texas judge has ruled that Infowars host Alex Jones cannot use bankruptcy protection to avoid paying more than $1.1 billion to families who sued over his conspiracy theories that the Sandy Hook school massacre was a hoax.

The decision is another significant defeat for Jones in the wake of juries in Texas and Connecticut punishing him over spreading falsehoods about the nation’s deadliest school shooting. U.S. District Judge Christopher Lopez of Houston issued the ruling Thursday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Jim Jordan was failing again Friday on a third ballot for the House speaker’s gavel, rejected by a steady roll call of more mainstream Republicans who warned the hard-edged ally of Donald Trump that no threats or promises could win their support.

Republicans have no realistic or workable plan to unite the fractured GOP majority, elect a new speaker and return to the work of Congress that has been languishing since hard-liners ousted Kevin McCarthy at the start of the month.

NEW YORK (AP) — A limited number of journalists in Gaza are trying to report on the war with Israel while facing the same problems as the besieged Palestinian population there — wondering where to live, where to get food and water, and how to stay safe.

The aftermath of Tuesday’s explosion that killed hundreds at a Gaza City hospital is the latest example of how that reality hinders the world’s ability to get a full picture of what is happening to the Palestinian population In Gaza.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House on Friday released a sweeping set of proposals to bolster Israel and Ukraine in the midst of two wars as well as invest more in domestic defense manufacturing, humanitarian assistance and managing the influx of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The total cost of the supplemental funding request was pegged at just over $105 billion. President Joe Biden hopes Congress will move urgently on the legislation, and he made the case for deepening U.S. support for its allies during a rare Oval Office address on Thursday night.

20 October 2023; AA: Canada has pulled 41 diplomats from India after New Delhi threatened to strip them of diplomatic immunity “tomorrow,” Foreign Minister Melanie Joly announced at a press conference, on Thursday.  

Joly said having their “immunity stripped” by India on the stated deadline of Friday, Oct. 20 would put the Canadian diplomats at risk. 

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 19 (APP): UN chief Antonio Guterres has called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Middle East to ease the “epic human suffering” in the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Later, the head of the UN health agency (WHO) said he welcomed the reported agreement between the US and Israel, which would allow food, water and medical aid into the ravaged enclave via the Egyptian border.

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 19 (NNN-XINHUA) – China was shocked and disappointed at the Security Council’s failure to adopt a resolution, that would have called for humanitarian pauses in Gaza, said Zhang Jun, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations, yesterday.