North America

WASHINGTON (AP) — As members of the Ukrainian parliament were pleading for aid on Capitol Hill, an air raid siren blared from one of their cell phones — a wrenching alert from the war-torn country back home.

One of the visitors reached into her bag, pulled out the phone and let the siren wail in the halls of Congress.

“Right now, you hear the sound?” said Anastasia Radina, a member of the Ukrainian Rada.

(AP) --- A line of severe storms packing isolated tornadoes and high winds ripped across the Deep South overnight, toppling trees and power lines and leaving homes and businesses damaged as the vast weather front raced across several states.

At least two confirmed tornadoes injured several people Wednesday, damaged homes and businesses and downed power lines in Mississippi and Tennessee after earlier storm damage in Arkansas, Missouri and Texas.

OCEAN CITY, Md. (AP) — A U.S. Navy aircraft with three people aboard crashed in waters near the Eastern Shore boundary of Virginia and Maryland on Wednesday evening, killing one, authorities said.

Lt. Cmdr. Rob Myers, a public affairs officer with Naval Air Force Atlantic, told The Associated Press the plane was conducting routine flight operations in the vicinity of Wallops Island, Virginia, when it went down around 7:30 p.m.

Two injured people were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard and one was found dead in the aircraft, U.S. Navy E2-D Hawkeye, Myers said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is expected to end the asylum limits at the U.S.-Mexico border by May 23 that were put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19, according to people familiar with the matter.

The decision, not yet final, would halt use of public health powers to absolve the United States of obligations under American law and international treaty to provide haven to people fleeing persecution, and would apply to all asylum-seekers.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — As the United States prepares to accept up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees following Russia’s invasion of their country, existing communities in cities like Sacramento and Seattle are already mobilizing to provide food, shelter and support to those fleeing the war.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is preparing to order the release of up to 1 million barrels of oil per day from the nation’s strategic petroleum reserve, according to two people familiar with the decision, in a bid to control energy prices that have spiked as the U.S. and allies have imposed steep sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine

WASHINGTON (AP) — When the end of the COVID-19 pandemic comes, it could create major disruptions for a cumbersome U.S. health care system made more generous, flexible and up-to-date technologically through a raft of temporary emergency measures.

NEW YORK, Mar 30 (APP): The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), an independent watchdog body, Wednesday called on India to immediately reverse their decision to block Rana Ayyub, a prominent Indian investigative journalist, from traveling outside the country, saying the action was “unjustified.”

ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 30 (Reuters) - A former British national accused of engaging in "brutal hostage-taking" as an alleged member of an Islamic State cell nicknamed "the Beatles" appeared in a U.S. federal court on Wednesday for the start of his criminal trial.

El Shafee Elsheikh, 33, is standing trial in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside Washington, on charges including lethal hostage-taking and conspiracy to commit murder.

WASHINGTON, March 30 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's office has hired an American law firm to advise on Western sanctions imposed after Russia's invasion and help engage with U.S. officials on policy matters, according to a filing with the U.S. Justice Department.

San Francisco-based Morrison & Foerster will counsel Zelenskiy's office on regulatory issues "including U.S., EU and UK sanctions regimes," John Smith, a partner in the firm, said in the Monday filing.