US

US Warns China Not to Help Russia: Consequences will Follow
US, China, News, Russia

US Warns China Not to Help Russia: Consequences will Follow

China will face repercussions if it helps Russia evade sanctions imposed on it. Jake Sullivan, the adviser to US President Joe Biden, said.   According to US officials, Russia has asked China for military aid. More specifically, this would include drones. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not directly address those allegations, but it did accuse the United States of maliciously spreading disinformation about China. In a CNN interview, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington has "communicated directly and privately to Beijing that there will be absolutely consequences if China makes large-scale efforts to evade sanctions against Russia or provide aid to Russia."
Ukraine Tensions: United States and Russia Agree to Vladimir Putin-Joe Biden Summit
Ukraine, News, Russia, US

Ukraine Tensions: United States and Russia Agree to Vladimir Putin-Joe Biden Summit

The United States and Russia have "in principle" agreed to a summit between US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. French President Emmanuel Macron proposed the summit after calling Putin for a second time in one day on Sunday.   French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin held another hour of telephone conversations late Sunday evening about the situation in Ukraine. It was their second meeting of the day, and the French government reports after the two leaders also spoke for nearly two hours earlier Sunday in an effort to prevent armed conflict in Ukraine. Just before the first meeting with Putin, Macron had also spent half an hour on the phone with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodimir Zelensky and discussed possible ways to ef...
US States Sue Google for Unauthorized Data Collection
Technology, News, US

US States Sue Google for Unauthorized Data Collection

The attorneys general of several US states, including Texas, Indiana and Washington D.C., are suing internet giant Google to obtain users' location data through deceptive tactics.   Google used that data to advertise in a more targeted way. Prosecutors say the unauthorized data collection took place from 2014 to at least 2019 on smartphones running Google's Android operating system and other apps and web services from the internet giant. In addition, Google continued to track the location of users' smartphones, even though they had disabled that feature, via the separate 'Web & App Activity' account settings. "In reality, regardless of the settings they choose, consumers who use Google products have no option but to allow the company to collect, store and use their location," ...
British Court Hears Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange’s Appeal Against Extradition to US
UK, News, US

British Court Hears Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange’s Appeal Against Extradition to US

It may be a decisive twist in a legal saga that has been going on for years: London's High Court will hear on Monday a request to appeal to the Supreme Court against the extradition of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.   If he refuses, he threatens to be extradited to the United States. The United States accused the Australian of having released more than 700,000 classified documents about US military and diplomatic activities, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan, since 2010. As a result, there are a lot of charges against him, and he faces a total of up to 175 years in prison. According to his supporters, the case constitutes a severe attack on press freedom. At the beginning of last year, Judge Vanessa Baraitser had spoken out against the extradition of Assange. His mental heal...
US to Give $200 Million in Additional Military Aid to Ukraine
US, News, Ukraine

US to Give $200 Million in Additional Military Aid to Ukraine

Last month, the United States gave $200 million extra military aid to Ukraine. The US Department of Defense made this known when Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Kyiv.   Blinken visits Ukraine to show support in the conflict with Russia. He speaks in Kyiv with President Volodimir Zelensky and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmitro Kuleba. Ukraine and Western countries fear that Russia is preparing an attack on Ukraine, for which it has gathered tens of thousands of soldiers along the border. Russia denies this. The Kremlin believes that Western countries are increasing tensions with arms supplies to Ukraine and does not want the country to join NATO. Tensions between the West and Russia are underway. Blinken will speak in Berlin on Thursday with German, France, Great Britain...
Helicopter With Baby On Board Crashes into Residential Area Near Philadelphia
US, News

Helicopter With Baby On Board Crashes into Residential Area Near Philadelphia

Near the American city of Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania, a helicopter with an infant on board has crashed over a residential area. Miraculously, there were no fatalities, local authorities report.   The plane crashed into a residential area near Upper Darby Township, on the border with Philadelphia, for unknown reasons on Tuesday. All four passengers, except the baby, were able to free themselves from the helicopter. The baby's condition is said to be stable, and she, like the pilot, was taken to hospital. According to American media, the helicopter was on its way to a children's hospital in Philadelphia, where the two-month-old girl would be treated. The US aviation authority is investigating the cause of the incident. Numerous witnesses saw the incident happen. Shocked motorists...
US Federal Reserve Vice-Chairman Resigns After Reports of Dubious Stock Market Transactions
US, Business, News

US Federal Reserve Vice-Chairman Resigns After Reports of Dubious Stock Market Transactions

Richard Clarida, the deputy chairman of the US central bank, is stepping down shortly before the end of his term due to reports of dubious stock market transactions. He will step down Friday, the Federal Reserve reported Monday.   Clarida has been the Fed's vice-chairman since late 2018. His term normally expires at the end of January. Clarida has come under fire for the past year over private stock market operations in 2020, as markets collapsed due to the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, the Fed was gearing up to commit major resources to contain the Covid crisis. According to a report by The New York Times, Clarida had bought an equity fund the day before an influential decision by the Fed to intervene in the markets. As a result, prices rose again. Clarida had previously sta...
US Teacher Arrested for Vaccinating Student Without Parental Consent
US, News

US Teacher Arrested for Vaccinating Student Without Parental Consent

A New York school teacher has been arrested for vaccinating a student against the coronavirus without the consent of the 17-year-old's parents. That reports the BBC.   Biology teacher Laura Russo (54) from Long Island is said to have vaccinated the 17-year-old boy - who had asked for the vaccine herself - at her home. Video footage shows the woman telling the boy that "everything will be okay, I hope. So there you go, home vaccination." The boy's parents are said to have alerted the police after their son came home and told them what had happened. The police arrested Russo on New Year's Eve. She faces a four-year prison sentence for performing a medical procedure without parental consent and without the necessary medical qualifications.
Heavy Snow Storms and Freezing Temperatures in Western US and Canada
US, Canada, News

Heavy Snow Storms and Freezing Temperatures in Western US and Canada

While ours is abnormally warm for this time of year, the western US is groaning under a cold snap and masses of snow. As a result, some regions are cut off from the outside world.   Thousands of people were without power in the western United States last weekend due to the heavy snow showers. In some places in northern California, up to 76 centimetres of snow fell in 24 hours, making many roads inaccessible. And it is also freezing in western Canada. Avalanche warnings have been in effect in Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Colorado and California since Sunday. The heavy snow showers have left large regions with unstable snow, the BBC's public broadcaster reported Monday. For example, in Washington and Oregon, there were power outages due to the bad weather. Northern California was t...
British Court Overturns Blockade of Assange’s Extradition to US
UK, News, US

British Court Overturns Blockade of Assange’s Extradition to US

The United States is one step closer to extraditing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from the United Kingdom. The British court ruled against the extradition in January because of the risk that Assange would commit suicide, but that verdict was overturned on appeal.   The Americans appealed because they believed that Assange was mentally capable of standing trial in the US. It has also been promised that Assange will not end up in a maximum-security prison and that he will be allowed to serve a prison sentence in his home country Australia. The extradition request must be re-examined by the court, but Assange's lawyers can still challenge the ruling. The latter will happen "as soon as possible", according to Stella Moris, Assange's fiancĂ©. She speaks of a "gigantic blunder". Report...