General News

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

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