North America

WASHINGTON (AP) — An inflation gauge that is closely monitored by the Federal Reserve jumped 6.1% in January compared with a year ago, the latest evidence that Americans are enduring sharp price increases that will likely worsen after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The figure reported Friday by the Commerce Department was the largest year-over-year rise since 1982. Excluding volatile food and energy prices, core inflation increased 5.2% in January from a year earlier.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration will significantly loosen federal mask-wearing guidelines to protect against COVID-19 transmission on Friday, according to two people familiar with the matter, meaning most Americans will no longer be advised to wear masks in indoor public settings.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Friday will nominate federal appeals court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, the White House said, making her the first Black woman selected to serve on a court that once declared her race unworthy of citizenship and endorsed segregation.

Beijing, Feb 24 (AP) Stocks plunged and oil prices surged by more than 5 per barrel Thursday after President Vladimir Putin launched military action in Ukraine, prompting Washington and Europe to vow sanctions on Moscow that may roil the global economy.

Market benchmarks in Europe and Asia fell by as much as 4% as traders tried to figure out how large Putin's incursion would be and the scale of Western retaliation. Wall Street futures retreated by an unusually wide daily margin of 2.5%.

Washington, Feb 25 (PTI) In an apparent message to countries which are not standing by its side or are supporting Moscow, US President Joe Biden has said that any nation that countenances Russia's naked aggression" and a "totally unjustifiable" war against Ukraine will be stained by association.

United Nations, Feb 25 (PTI) The UN Security Council will vote on a draft resolution on Friday tabled by the US and Albania that will condemn in the strongest terms possible Russia's aggression, invasion and violation of Ukraine's sovereignty, a move that seeks to isolate permanent and veto-wielding member Moscow on the global stage after Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to attack its neighbour.

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 24 (Reuters) - The United Nations Security Council is likely to vote on Friday on a draft resolution that would condemn Russia for invading Ukraine and require Moscow to immediately and unconditionally withdraw, a senior U.S. administration official said.

Russia is expected to veto the measure, said the U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, but the issue is then likely to be taken up by the 193-member U.N. General Assembly in the coming days.

WASHINGTON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden met with his counterparts from the Group of Seven allies on Thursday morning to map out more severe measures against Russia after President Vladimir Putin launched what Biden called "a premeditated war" against Ukraine.

Biden, who spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy late on Wednesday, convened his National Security Council earlier on Thursday to discuss the latest developments in Ukraine, according to a White House official.

NEW YORK (AP) — The two prosecutors in charge of the Manhattan district attorney’s criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump and his business dealings suddenly resigned Wednesday, throwing the future of the probe into question just as pressure was building on Trump on several legal fronts.

TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Wednesday he is removing emergency powers police can use after authorities ended the blockades at the borders and the occupation in Ottawa by truckers and others opposed to COVID-19 restrictions.

Trudeau said the “threat continues” but the acute emergency that included entrenched occupations has ended. His government invoked the powers last week and lawmakers affirmed the powers late Monday.