General News

Routed through new hubs and expanded criminal networks, international cocaine trafficking has made a dramatic surge after an initial slowdown caused by the emergence of Covid-19, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said in a report. Criminal networks are now diversifying with alarming results alongside record levels of production, moving beyond the pandemic and its related global shutdown, which had

Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow next week to hold talks aimed at strengthenening the relationship between the two major powers. The Kremlin said the two leaders would discuss a "comprehensive partnership and strategic co-operation". The visit, which will be the first by the Chinese leader to Russia since Putin's forces attacked Ukraine more

Russian forces in Ukraine faced fresh accusations of war crimes as UN-appointed independent human rights investigators released the latest findings of their ongoing probe. According to the Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, set up one year ago at the request of the Human Rights Council, Russian troops committed a wide range of violations across the country, many of which are war crimes. These inc

The Federal Communications Commission has announced $73 million in grants to help more Americans sign up for high-speed internet under the Affordable Connectivity Program and save on monthly internet costs. The Commission announced $66 million in grant funding to 197 selected applicants to pursue a broad range of outreach projects to promote the Affordable Connectivity Program. Of these, 177 re

The United States has strongly condemned North Korea's latest Intercontinental ballistic missile test. North Korea fired an ICBM on Thursday morning, ahead of landmark talks between the leaders of South Korea and Japan aimed at improving bilateral relations. The long-range ballistic missile, which could potentially reach mainland United States, was launched from Pyongyang on the east coast of N

The U.S. Department of Transportation has opened applications for potential bidders to build electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across the country. The DOT's new Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program will provide $2.5 billion over five years to a wide range of applicants, including cities, counties, local governments, and Tribes. This round of funding makes u

American space infrastructure developer Axiom Space, Inc. has been selected to lead the next private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. Announcing this, NASA said it has signed a mission order with Axiom Space for the third private astronaut mission to the ISS, targeted to launch no earlier than November from the U.S. space agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. "NASA's com

The Department of Health and Human Services has unveiled the first set of Part B prescription drugs that will be subject to Medicare inflation rebates because they raised their prices faster than inflation. Under prescription drug law, prescription drug companies have to pay back Medicare if they raise prices on seniors at a higher rate than inflation. From next month, some Medicare beneficiar

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg sent a letter to the Congress proposing a legislation that would guarantee that young kids can sit next to their parents without getting charged a junk fee in passenger planes. If passed, this legislation would ensure fee-free family seating on all U.S. airlines. President Biden called for Congress to pass legislation to ban these junk fees in the State of

Tuesday, President Joe Biden will travel to Monterey Park, California, the site of a recent deadly shooting, to announce a set of new actions to control gun violence. At 3:45 PM ET, Biden will announce an Executive Order with the goal of increasing the number of background checks conducted before selling firearms, moving the U.S. as close to universal background checks as possible without additio

Key findings from the 2022 World Air Quality Report reveal the dangerous levels of air pollution measured in most of the 131 countries and regions under study. 118 countries exceeded the WHO annual PM2.5 guideline value of 5 µg/m3, says IQAir's 5th Annual World Air Quality Report. The top five most polluted countries in 2022 were Chad (89.7 µg/m3 - more than 17 times higher than the WHO annual g

It was a triumphant Sunday night for the eccentric sci-fi comedy drama Everything Everywhere All at Once as it swept seven awards at the Oscars, including best film and best actress. Michelle Yeoh's performance in the film won her the award for best actress in a leading role, making her the first woman of Asian descent to win an Oscar in the category. The U.S.-based Malaysian actress received w

President Joe Biden will deliver remarks Monday morning on actions that his administration has taken to strengthen confidence in the U.S. banking system in the wake of the collapses of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. In a statement issued on Sunday, Biden said that at his direction, the Treasury Secretary and the National Economic Council Director worked diligently with the banking regula

The U.S. Department of Energy has announced approximately $6 billion in funding to accelerate decarbonization projects in energy-intensive industries and provide American manufacturers a competitive advantage in the emerging global clean energy economy. The Industrial Demonstrations Program will focus on the highest emitting industries where decarbonization technologies will have the greatest im

President Joe Biden will embark on a two-day visit to Canada on March 23. "President Biden will reaffirm the United States' commitment to the U.S.-Canada partnership and promote our shared security, shared prosperity, and shared values," the White House said while announcing the presidential tour. During the visit, President Biden will meet with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in capita