Page 62 - United States

Joe Biden to pledge 500M free Covid-19 tests to counter omicron

The White House provided details on the proposals Biden will announce in his speech

US population growth at lowest rate in Covid-19 pandemic's first year

The population estimates are derived from calculating the number of births, deaths and migration in the US

Dollar on back foot but Omicron variant keeps markets on edge

HONG KONG (Reuters) - The dollar softened a little on Tuesday in the wake of improving market appetite for risk assets and currencies, extending its overnight losses following a blow to Democratic spending plans in Washington.

Texas governor's decision: Whether to pardon George Floyd for drug arrest

Doling out pardons is a holiday tradition for Texas Gov Abbott, who around every Christmas grants them to a handful of ordinary citizens, typically for minor offenses committed years or decades ago.

Indian-American Zeya is America's Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues

The US has designated Indian-origin diplomat Uzra Zeya as its Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues

US reports 1st death due to Omicron variant in Texas as cases surge

The US has reported its first death due to the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus in Texas, according to health officials. A man in the US state of Texas, who was in his 50s, was unvaccinated and had previously been infected with COVID-19, according to a release from Harris County Public Health. The case is the first known confirmed Omicron-related death in the United States, CNN reported. "The individual was at higher risk of severe complications from COVID-19 due to his unvaccinated status and had underlying health conditions," the release said. County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced the death on Monday, saying the man was in his 50s.

December 15 storms that swept north-central US classified as derecho

A line of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes that swept across the north-central US last week was the result of a serial derecho the first on record in December

US advises against travel to Ukraine, cites Russia threat, military buildup

The State Department advised Americans on Monday to avoid travel to Ukraine because of increased threats from Russia amid its military buildup along the country's border. In its new travel advisory, the department said Americans should be aware of reports that Russia is planning for significant military action against Ukraine and that security could deteriorate in the country. The State Department regularly issues travel advisories and had one in place for Ukraine already because of COVID-19. But this was unusual because of the direct warning about the massing of Russian troops along the Ukraine border, which has caused soaring tensions between Moscow and Washington in recent days. American citizens choosing to visit the country despite the warning should be aware that Russian military action anywhere in Ukraine would severely impact the US Embassy's ability to provide consular services, including assistance to US citizens in departing Ukraine," it said. US intelligence officials s

US, UK send cyberwarfare teams to Ukraine amid concerns over Russia

The United States and the United Kingdom sent cyberwarfare teams to Ukraine over concerns Russia could potentially launch a cyber attack

No intention of imposing new shutdowns: White House amid Omicron surge

The Biden Administration has clarified that it has no intention of imposing new shutdowns amid a surge in Omicron variant across the US.White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that President Joe Biden will "issue a stark warning and make clear unvaccinated individuals will continue to drive hospitalizations and deaths" in his COVID-19 address on Tuesday."This is not a speech about locking the country down," Psaki said. "This is a speech outlining and being direct and clear with the American people about the benefits of being vaccinated, the steps we're going to take to increase access and to increase testing, and the risks posed to unvaccinated individuals."The highly transmissible Omicron variant was first detected in the U.S. on December 2 and has since spread to 47 states.A wave of the variant has already hit New York and New Jersey, where it accounted for approximately 13 per cent of cases last week.

Panel probing Capitol attack seeks interview with GOP Rep Scott Perry

The House panel investigating the January 6 US. Capitol insurrection requested an interview with Republican Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania

Pentagon issues rules for service members to stop rise of extremism

Warning that extremism in the ranks is increasing, Pentagon officials are issuing detailed new rules prohibiting service members from actively engaging in extremist activities. The new guidelines come nearly a year after some current and former service members participated in the riot at the US Capitol, triggering a broad department review. Senior defense officials tell The Associated Press that fewer than 100 military members are known to have been involved in substantiated cases of extremist activity in the past year, but they warn that the number may grow given recent spikes in domestic violent extremism, particularly among veterans. Officials said the new policy doesn't largely change what is prohibited, but is more of an effort to make sure troops are clear on what they can and can't do, while still protecting their First Amendment free speech rights. And for the first time, it is far more specific about social media. The new policy lays out in detail the banned activities, wh

Nike beats revenue estimates on strong North America demand

Nike's second-quarter sales in North America, its largest market, jumped 12%, as a reopening U.S. economy and the roll out of vaccines gave people confidence to rush back to stores

US announces $5 mn reward for information on 2015 terror attack in Dhaka

The US Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service is offering a reward for information on the terrorist attack in Dhaka, Bangladesh

US working with UN bodies to allocate humanitarian aid to Afghanistan

The United States said it is working with UN bodies to find ways to allocate humanitarian aid to Afghanistan

Explained: Why Donald Trump's $1 billion capital raise was so popular

Former US President Donald Trump's new venture inked the second-largest ever private placement with convertible stock for a merger with a blank-check acquisition firm, according to SPAC Research

Strong earthquake hits North California; no tsunami or major damage

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck the Northern California coast on Monday, bringing significant shaking but likely minimal damage to the sparsely populated area. A tsunami was not expected to follow, the National Weather Service said. The earthquake occurred just after noon and was centred off the coast about 337 kilometres northwest of San Francisco, just off a tiny town called Petrolia that's home to fewer than 1,000 people. The nearest population centre, Eureka, is about 72 kilometers north. That left only about 25,000 people in the range of strong or very strong shaking, according to the US Geological Survey, though residents as far away as Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area reported feeling trembling. The Humboldt County Sheriff's office of emergency services did not issue any evacuation orders, though a few roads were closed due to rockslides. The US Geological Survey estimated economic losses of less than USD 10 million and no fatalities. The area last suffered an ..

Omicron variant sweeps across nation, now 73% of US Covid-19 cases

Omicron has raced ahead of other variants and is now the dominant version of the coronavirus in the US, accounting for 73 per cent of new infections last week, federal health officials said Monday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers showed nearly a six-fold increase in omicron's share of infections in only one week. In much of the country, it's even higher. Omicron is responsible for an estimated 90 pere cent or more of new infections in the New York area, the Southeast, the industrial Midwest and the Pacific Northwest. The national rate suggests that more than 650,000 omicron infections occurred in the U.S. last week. Since the end of June, the delta variant had been the main version causing US infections. As recently as the end of November, more than 99.5 per cent of coronaviruses were delta, according to CDC data. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said the new numbers reflect the kind of growth seen in other countries. "These numbers are stark, but they're

Trump reveals he got Covid-19 vaccine booster shot; crowd boos him

Former President Donald Trump revealed he received a booster shot of the Covid-19 vaccine, drawing boos from a crowd in Dallas.

US adds Spain, Finland, 6 other nations on list to avoid due to Covid-19

The US CDC put eight more countries on its list of states that Americans should avoid due to the high risk of being infected with the novel coronavirus, including Spain and Finland.