North America

UNITED NATIONS, July 1 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Security Council on Thursday renewed the sanctions imposed on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Adopting resolution 2641 by a vote of 10 in favor to none against with five abstentions, the council renewed its arms embargo measures, travel ban and asset freezes until July 1, 2023.

China, Russian, Ghana, Gabon and Kenya voted in abstention.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell threatened Thursday to derail a bill designed to boost semiconductor manufacturing in the United States if Democrats revive their stalled package of energy and economic initiatives.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s conservative-controlled Supreme Court handed Republicans their newest weapon to weaken any Democratic governors in the battleground state, ruling this week that political appointees don’t have to leave their posts until the Senate confirms their successor.

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP) — A Navy investigation released Thursday revealed that shoddy management and human error caused fuel to leak into Pearl Harbor’s tap water last year, poisoning thousands of people and forcing military families to evacuate their homes for hotels.

SIOUX CENTER, Iowa (AP) — Stunning new revelations about former President Donald Trump’s fight to overturn the 2020 election have exposed growing political vulnerabilities just as he eyes another presidential bid.

A former White House aide this week described Trump as an unhinged leader with no regard for the safety of elected officials in either party as he clung to power on Jan. 6, 2021. The testimony from the congressional panel investigating the Capitol attack provided a roadmap for prosecutors to potentially charge Trump with a crime, some legal experts say.

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 500 days into his presidency, Joe Biden’s hope for saving the Earth from the most devastating effects of climate change may not quite be dead.

But it’s not far from it.

A Supreme Court ruling Thursday not only limited the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate climate pollution by power plants but also suggests the court is poised to block other efforts by Biden and federal agencies to limit the climate-wrecking fumes emitted by oil, gas and coal.

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 30 (APP): Pakistan told an event at the U.N. Wednesday that “selectivity” in the condemnation of human rights violations was a factor in the rising geopolitical tensions, and called for a review of the current approach to advancing international peace and security.

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 30 (NNN-AGENCIES) – UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, yesterday, announced the appointment of Najat Rochdi of Morocco, as deputy special envoy for Syria.

Rochdi succeeds Khawla Matar of Bahrain, “to whom the secretary-general expresses his gratitude for her efforts and dedication, in the search for peace in Syria,” the UN chief’s office said in a statement.

WASHINGTON, June 29 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin still wants to seize most of Ukraine, but his forces are so degraded by combat that they likely can only achieve incremental gains in the near term, the top U.S. intelligence officer said Wednesday.

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, outlining the current U.S. intelligence assessment of the more than four-month war, said that the consensus of U.S. spy agencies is that it will grind on "for an extended period of time."

WASHINGTON, June 30 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. House select committee investigating the Capital riot last year has subpoenaed former White House counsel Pat Cipollone for the inquiry.

"The Select Committee's investigation has revealed evidence that Mr. Cipollone repeatedly raised legal and other concerns about" Donald Trump's activities on Jan. 6, 2021, and in the days that preceded, according to a statement issued on Wednesday.