North America

LOS ANGELES, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Influenza cases are increasing in most parts of the United States, and the highest level has been recorded in central and south-central regions, according to data released Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

There have been at least 3.1 million flu illnesses, 31,000 hospitalizations and 1,800 related deaths so far this season, the CDC estimated.

The number of reported flu-related hospital admissions has increased each week for the past seven weeks, according to the CDC.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The push by Republicans to conduct partisan ballot reviews similar to the one that unfolded last year in Arizona has spread beyond the battleground states where former President Donald Trump disputed his loss, an effort that has had mixed legislative success but has sown doubts about whether future elections can be trusted.

While most of the bills are unlikely to become law, the debates and public hearings in GOP-controlled state legislative chambers have added fuel to the false claims that widespread fraud cost Trump reelection in 2020.

TORONTO (AP) — When an Assembly of First Nations delegation traveled to the Vatican in 2009 to meet with then-Pope Benedict XVI, the pontiff told them in a private meeting of his “personal anguish” over abuse suffered by Indigenous children in church-run boarding schools they were forced to attend in Canada.

NEW YORK (AP) — Ukraine, which has waged a staunch defense against Russian invasion, says it has pioneered a new source of financial support: People around the world who have donated millions of dollars directly to its war effort via cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin.

NEW YORK (AP) — “Senator,” she said, letting out an audible sigh.

In that singular moment, Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson spoke for countless Black women who have had to gather all the patience, strength and grace within to answer insinuating questions about their credentials, qualifications and character.

It was Day One of questioning at the Senate Judiciary Committee as the Harvard-educated Jackson, the first Black woman to be nominated for the nation’s highest court, was making history.

ATLANTA (AP) — In Donald Trump’s push to fundamentally reshape the Republican Party, few places are a higher priority than Georgia.

The former president has issued highly-coveted endorsements in races ranging from governor to state insurance commissioner. His backing of football legend Herschel Walker essentially cleared a path to the party’s nomination for a critical U.S. Senate seat.

25 March 2022; MEMO: The United States is still pursuing talks on Iran's nuclear program but will work with allies to increase pressure on Iran if diplomacy fails, White House National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, said on Friday.

The talks were close to an agreement until Russia made last-minute demands of the United States, insisting that sanctions imposed on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine would not hurt its trade with Iran, Reuters reports.

MEXICO CITY, March 25 (Reuters) - Mexico's president on Friday said he had no information about comments from a U.S. general that Russian intelligence agents are based in Mexico, and reiterated Mexico's non-interventionist stance.

"We don't have information on this," President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told a regular news conference when asked about the general's remarks, adding that the government would not impede any foreigner from carrying out legal activities.

WASHINGTON, March 25 (Reuters) - Washington condemned "unacceptable" attacks by Yemen's Houthis on Saudi energy facilities, State Department deputy spokesperson Jalina Porter said on Friday, adding the United States would continue to work with Saudi Arabia to strengthen its defenses.

The Iran-aligned Houthis said they launched attacks on Saudi energy facilities on Friday and the Saudi-led coalition said oil giant Aramco's petroleum products distribution station in Jeddah was hit, causing a fire in two storage tanks but no casualties.

LINCOLN, Nebraska (AP) — Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry on Friday faced growing pressure from congressional leaders and Nebraska’s GOP governor to resign after a California jury found him guilty of lying to federal authorities about an illegal $30,000 campaign donation from a Nigerian billionaire.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy both urged the nine-term congressman to leave office, as did Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, who has endorsed Fortenberry’s top Republican primary challenger.