General News

The Pentagon has unveiled a comprehensive plan aimed at the welfare of U.S. military force and their families. The new six-point plan, announced by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, addresses essential needs in education, childcare, parental leave, and career advancement. Austin said the Department of Defense is committed to working with Congress and other stakeholders to ensure the successfu

President Joe Biden will embark on a two-day visit of Canada Thursday. Biden, accompanied by First Lady Jill Biden, will be greeted by the Governor General of Canada, Mary Simon, when they arrive in capital Ottawa. Later in the evening, the President and First Lady will join Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau for a private gathering at their residence. Frid

Canada's population grew by more than a million in 2022, driven by immigration, according to the latest statistics on the country's population growth. The North American country's population was estimated at 39,566,248 on January 1, 2023, an increase of of 1,050,110 people within a year. This marks the first 12-month period in Canada's history where population grew by more than 1 million people,

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced the first round of grants totaling more than $94 million for 59 projects across the country through the new Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grants Program. The competitive grant program provides State, local, and Tribal governments $500 million over five years to leverage technology to create safer, more e

The United States imposed sanctions on four Iranian entities and three individuals in Iran and Turkey for their involvement in the procurement of equipment, including European-origin engines of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in support of Iran's UAV and weapons programs. The Iranian military procurement network operates on behalf of Iran's Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL),

The International Monetary Fund has reached an agreement with Ukraine to provide a loan worth $15.6 billion to support the war-torn country in its economic recovery, post-war reconstruction and path to EU accession. The staff-level agreement was reached after a week-long meeting between Ukrainian officials and an IMF team led by IMF Mission Chief for Ukraine Gavin Gray in Warsaw. The Ukrainian t

President Joe Biden has signed the Covid Origins Act of 2023 into law. The legislation requires the Biden administration to declassify intelligence related to any potential links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the origins of the Covid pandemic within 90 days of enactment.

For the sixth year in a row, Finland continues to be the happiest country in the World, according to the World Happiness Report. The peaceful Scandinavian country, which is well known for its beautiful landscapes and high standard of living, continues to hold the top spot because of its straightforward way of life, dedication to sustainability, close connection to nature, and enjoyment of seasona

In the latest tranche of U.S. security assistance to help Ukraine fight against Russian attacks, the Department of Defense announced the authorization of arms and equipment worth $350 million. This military assistance package includes more ammunition for U.S.-provided High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, and howitzers that Ukraine is currently using to defend lethal attacks by Russ

A significant decrease in the number of Covid cases and deaths has been reported in the United States in the past two weeks. Coronavirus infections fell by 34 percent and deaths due to the virus disease reduced by 38 percent nationally, according to the latest data shared by the New York Times. Other Covid metrics also indicate the slowing down of the pandemic. Hospitalizations have been fallin

The Group of 7 nations has called for tough punitive actions in response to North Korea's latest Intercontinental ballistic missile test. North Korea's reckless behavior demands a swift and unified response by the international community including further significant measures by the UN Security Council, G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United

The Government of Israel and the Palestinian National Authority have agreed on a set of commitments that will help de escalate tensions in the Middle East. The two sides reaffirmed their joint readiness and commitment to immediately work to end unilateral measures for a period of 3 to 6 months. This includes an Israeli commitment to stop discussion of any new settlement units in Palestinian terr

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