North America

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California voters will weigh in on seven ballot measures this fall, the fewest to appear on a statewide general election ballot since 2014.

Thursday was the deadline to qualify measures for the November ballot. Secretary of State Shirley Weber confirmed that seven questions will appear in November. Six are ballot initiatives that supporters gathered enough signatures to place before voters and one was placed on the ballot by the state Legislature.

(AP) --- The Supreme Court’s latest climate change ruling could dampen efforts by federal agencies to rein in the tech industry, which went largely unregulated for decades as the government tried to catch up to changes wrought by the internet.

In the 6-3 decision that was narrowly tailored to the Environmental Protection Agency, the court ruled Thursday that the EPA does not have broad authority to reduce power plant emissions that contribute to global warming. The precedent is widely expected to invite challenges of other rules set by government agencies.

WASHINGTON Jul 02 (APP): The Taliban, at a meeting with a high-level US delegation in Qatar, reiterated their pledge to not allow the territory of Afghanistan to be used by anyone to threaten any country, a State Department spokesperson said in a statement issued in Washington Friday.

On their part, Spokesperson Ned Price said in the statement that “US officials expressed concern regarding the continuing presence of Al-Qaeda, ISIS-K, and other terrorist organizations in Afghanistan.”

UNITED NATIONS Jul 02 (APP): UN High Commissioner for Human rights, Michelle Bachelet, has voiced serious concern that since the Taliban took power, women and girls in Afghanistan were experiencing the most significant and rapid roll-back in enjoyment of their rights across the board in decades.

Speaking at the UN Human Rights Council’s session in Geneva on the rights of Afghan women, she condemned the massive unemployment of women, the restrictions placed on the way they dress, and their access on basic services.

UNITED NATIONS, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Brazil on Friday assumed the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council for July.

During the month, Brazil would aim to foster greater cooperation between the Security Council and other UN bodies, especially the Peacebuilding Commission, as it can make a comprehensive contribution to discussions on renewal of peacekeeping and political missions, Ronaldo Costa Filho, Brazil's permanent representative to the UN and president of the Security Council for July, told a press briefing Friday.

DENVER, the United States, July 1 (Xinhua) -- More U.S. experts have been urging the Biden administration to scrap Trump-era additional tariffs on Chinese imports, underlining huge benefits for America to end the trade war.

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — U.S. officials are testing a new wildfire retardant after two decades of buying millions of gallons annually from one supplier, but watchdogs say the expensive strategy is overly fixated on aerial attacks at the expense of hiring more fire-line digging ground crews.

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — The Fourth of July holiday weekend is jamming U.S. airports with their biggest crowds since the pandemic began in 2020.

About 2.49 million passengers went through security checkpoints at U.S. airports Friday, surpassing the previous pandemic-era record of 2.46 million reached earlier in the week, according to figures released Saturday by the Transportation Security Administration.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Following the horror of a human-smuggling attempt that left 53 people dead, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott ordered state troopers to inspect more trucks — again expanding a border security mission that has cost billions, given the National Guard arrest powers and bused migrants to Washington, D.C.

What Abbott’s get-tough plans haven’t done in the year since he began rolling them out is curb the number of people crossing the border.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said Friday that setbacks for President Joe Biden’s climate efforts at home have “slowed the pace” of some of the commitments from other countries to cut climate-wrecking fossil fuels, but he insisted the U.S. would still achieve its own ambitious climate goals in time.