Category Archives: US News

Oil price falls below $100 amid Russia-Ukraine ceasefire talks

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Drop in price comes as Covid-19 infections rise in China, which could hit demand for energy supplies

Global oil prices have fallen back below $100 (£77) a barrel amid ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine and concerns over the rapid growth in Covid infections in China.

The price of a barrel of oil slid to $99 on energy markets on Tuesday, before rising back to just above $100 in early afternoon trading. It comes amid a decline from a 14-year high of close to $130 reached earlier this month after Vladimir Putin ordered troops into Ukraine.

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Ukraine-Russia war latest: More than 3m have now fled Ukraine, says UN, as Czech, Polish and Slovenian leaders arrive for Zelenskiy meeting – live

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The UN says it expects the number of Ukrainian refugees to reach at least four million, while Poland’s PM announced he and his counterparts from the Czech Republic and Slovenia are now in Kyiv

More explosions have been heard in Kyiv on Tuesday morning as Russian bombardment continues.

An apartment bulding was reportedly hit and set on fire, according to the state emergency service. The fire was put out and one person has been hospitalised.

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Will Biden’s handling of the Ukraine crisis prove popular with US voters?

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Democrats tout president’s role in responding to Russian aggression – and bid to highlight contrast with Putin-friendly Donald Trump

Joe Biden came into the White House vowing to restore American leadership on the world stage. But the tumultuous end to the war in Afghanistan last year shook Americans’ confidence in their new commander-in-chief, raising doubts about his competence and judgment and sending his approval ratings tumbling.

Now Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has given Biden a second chance to demonstrate the steady leadership he promised, raising hopes among Democrats that the White House’s efforts to punish Moscow for its shocking aggression will resonate with voters in this year’s midterm elections.

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Manchin ‘very reluctant’ on electric cars in ominous sign for Biden’s climate fight

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Centrist Democrat, who holds key swing vote in US Senate, has poured scorn on the idea of phasing out gasoline and diesel cars

Faced with rising gasoline prices, many Americans are now looking to switch to an electric car. But the shift away from fossil fuel vehicles has been criticized by Senator Joe Manchin, who has said he is “very reluctant” to see the proliferation of battery-powered cars.

There has been a surge in interest in buying electric vehicles (EVs) in the wake of the war in Ukraine, analysts say, with drivers in the US unnerved by gasoline prices that have surpassed $4.30 a gallon as a result of the conflict and the supply chain issues from the pandemic.

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Trump accused of campaign finance violations in FEC complaint

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Democratic Pac alleges former president is raising campaign money without announcing candidacy

A Democratic fundraising organization has announced that it is filing a complaint to the Federal Election Commission in which it accuses former president Donald Trump of violating campaign finance laws by spending political funds for a 2024 presidential bid without officially declaring his 2024 candidacy.

The American Bridge Super Pac, which filed the complaint on Monday, said in the complaint that “Trump has been illegally using his multi-candidate leadership PAC to raise and spend funds in excess of Commission limits for the purpose of advancing a 2024 presidential campaign.

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What is a no-fly zone and could one be imposed over Ukraine?

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No-fly zones are used to protect populations but implementing one over Ukraine risks sparking a wider, more dangerous conflict

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy again urged Nato on Monday to impose a no-fly zone over his country, saying it would protect not only Ukraine but the countries of the Atlantic alliance from Russian air attacks.

But the United States and Nato allies refused for the same reasons they have been citing since Moscow invaded Ukraine on 24 February: that any attempt to establish a no-fly zone would place them in direct conflict with nuclear-armed Russia and spark a wider, more dangerous conflict.

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Ever stuck: Suez container ship’s cousin runs aground in US harbor

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The 334-metre Ever Forward ran into trouble in the Chesapeake Bay, a year to the month after its cousin blocked the canal in Egypt

A year to the month after the Ever Given blocked the Suez canal for a week – prompting global fascination and countless memes – the container ship’s cousin has run aground in the Chesapeake Bay.

Officials are now scrambling to refloat that container ship, ironically named the Ever Forward, after it got stuck on Sunday night as it tried to head from the Port of Baltimore to Norfolk, Virginia, Bloomberg reported.

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China has already decided to send economic aid to Russia in Ukraine conflict, US officials fear

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Jake Sullivan’s Rome meeting with Chinese counterpart left US officials pessimistic about steering Beijing away from backing Moscow

China has already decided to provide Russia with economic and financial support during its war on Ukraine and is contemplating sending military supplies such as armed drones, US officials fear.

The US national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, laid out the US case against Russia’s invasion in an “intense” seven-hour meeting in Rome with his Chinese counterpart, Yang Jiechi, pointing out that Moscow had feigned interest in diplomacy while preparing for invasion, and also that the Russian military was clearly showing signs of frailty.

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‘We had no choice’: over 8,000 Russians seek US refuge in six-month period

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The increase in asylum-seekers is 35 times the number who crossed the border in Mexico during the same time period last year

Maksim Derzhko calls it one of the most terrifying experiences of his life. A longtime opponent of Vladimir Putin, he flew from Vladivostok to the Mexican border city of Tijuana with his 14-year-old daughter and was in a car with seven other Russians. All that separated them from claiming asylum in the United States was a US officer standing in traffic as vehicles inched toward inspection booths.

The emotions are “hard to put into words,” he says. “It’s fear. The unknown. It’s really hard. We had no choice.”

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Uproar as Mississippi signs bill to limit discussions of race in school lessons

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Bill signed by Republican governor sparks opposition from Black lawmakers who say it will quash debate on racism’s harmful effects

Mississippi’s governor signed a bill on Monday to limit how race can be discussed in classrooms, marking the latest move in a Republican-driven battle over “critical race theory”, an academic framework that examines how racism has shaped US public policy and institutions.

The Mississippi bill has sparked opposition from Black lawmakers, who have said its passage could squelch honest discussion about the harmful effects of racism.

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White House warns of ‘significant consequences’ if China aids Russia – as it happened

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The process to approve Joe Biden’s nominees for Federal Reserve board - including the Federal Reserve chair - have all been stalled over one particular nominee: Sarah Bloom Raskin, wife of Jamie Raskin, a Democratic member of Congress.

Last month, Republicans refused to attend the meeting to move the nomination process forward. They wanted senator Sherrod Brown, chair of the banking committee reviewing the nominations, to separate Raskin from the other four nominees, but Brown refused - a move the White House supported. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said if Republicans disagreed with the nomination, they should vote that way, but that it was irresponsible to not show up and do their jobs.

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Sleeping with light on linked to higher risk of heart disease and diabetes

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Exposure to artificial light at night worsens glucose and cardiovascular regulation, research suggests

Sleeping with the light on might scare away monsters under the bed, but it could be linked to an increased risk of heart disease and diabetes, research suggests.

Light is an important signal by which the body’s internal clock, which governs a host of biological processes from temperature to hormone release, is synchronised to the external cycle of day and night.

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CIA black site detainee served as training prop to teach interrogators torture techniques

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Newly declassified documents reveal Ammar al-Baluchi was repeatedly slammed against a wall while naked until all trainees received ‘certification’

A detainee at a secret CIA detention site in Afghanistan was used as a living prop to teach trainee interrogators, who lined up to take turns at knocking his head against a plywood wall, leaving him with brain damage, according to a US government report.

The details of the torture of Ammar al-Baluchi are in a 2008 report by the CIA’s inspector general, newly declassified as part of a court filing by his lawyers aimed at getting him an independent medical examination.

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Julian Assange denied permission to appeal against US extradition

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WikiLeaks founder’s application ‘didn’t raise an arguable point of law’, UK supreme court says

Julian Assange has moved a step closer to a US trial on espionage charges after the UK’s highest court refused to hear his appeal against extradition.

The WikiLeaks founder was attempting to appeal against a judgment by the high court in December that ruled he could be extradited after assurances from the US authorities with regard to his prison conditions there.

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Volodymyr Zelenskiy expected to urge jet transfer in address to US Congress

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Leaders prepare to welcome Ukraine president before Wednesday speech amid divisions over question of planes

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, will address Congress on Wednesday in what could prove his most powerful plea yet for the west to take a tougher line against Vladimir Putin.

Zelenskiy is expected to use the virtual address to urge members of the House of Representatives and Senate to intensify pressure on Joe Biden to allow the transfer of MiG-29 fighter jets from Poland.

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Ginni Thomas, wife of Clarence Thomas, attended rally preceding Capitol attack

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Conservative activist who runs a political lobbying firm, says she briefly attended rally but left before Trump addressed crowd

Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, wife of the supreme court justice Clarence Thomas, has admitted attending a rally which preceded the January 6 attack on the US Capitol but denied helping to plan it.

In an interview with the Washington Free Beacon, Thomas, a conservative activist who runs a political lobbying firm, said she briefly attended the rally near the White House on 6 January 2021 but left before Donald Trump addressed the crowd.

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US astronaut’s return hangs in the balance as tensions with Russia escalate

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Mark Vande Hei, who is set to break the US single spaceflight record, will be riding a Russian capsule back to Earth

The US astronaut Mark Vande Hei has made it through nearly a year in space, but now faces what could be his trickiest assignment: riding a Russian capsule back to Earth in the midst of deepening tension between the two countries.

Nasa insists Vande Hei’s homecoming at the end of the month remains unchanged, even as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has resulted in canceled launches, broken contracts and an escalating war of words from the leader of the Russian Space Agency.

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Johnson faces uphill task to convince Saudis and UAE to boost oil production

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Analysis: PM will try and succeed where Biden failed but is unlikely to get a sympathetic hearing

Boris Johnson is facing criticism both domestically and in the Gulf as he tries to persuade Gulf states to boost oil production.

He is expected to visit Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states such as the United Arab Emirates as western powers seek extra oil supplies to loosen the west’s dependence on Russian energy and slow the massive price rises caused by sanctions due to the war in Ukraine.

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Timmy Thomas, R&B singer of Why Can’t We Live Together, dies aged 77

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Singer’s anti-war song reached US Top 3 in 1973 before being widely covered and sampled by artists including Drake

Timmy Thomas, whose spellbinding anti-war song Why Can’t We Live Together was a global hit in 1973, has died aged 77.

No cause of death has been given. His family wrote on his Facebook page: “With appreciation and gratitude, the family extends a thank you for the prayers, support, precious words and other expressions of love and kindness during this time.”

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Bermuda’s ban on same-sex marriage is allowed, UK judges rule

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JCPC overturns decision by lower court that ban was unconstitutional, in setback for LGBTQ rights

British judges have ruled that Bermuda’s ban on same-sex marriage is permitted under its constitution, in a setback for gay rights in the British overseas territory.

The UK’s judicial committee of the privy council (JCPC) – the ultimate court of appeal for Bermuda and dozens of other British overseas territories, dependencies and Commonwealth states – on Monday overturned a decision by Bermuda’s highest court, which ruled the ban to be unconstitutional.

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