North America

Washington, Feb 17 (PTI) The US has hoped that India, which is committed to a rules-based international order, will stand by its side in case of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, which as per the Biden administration seems imminent with Moscow adding 7,000 troops to Ukraine's border in recent days

State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said on Wednesday that there was a discussion on Russia and Ukraine during the recently concluded Quad ministerial in Melbourne that included foreign ministers from Australia, India, Japan and the United States

TAPACHULA, Mexico, Feb 15 (Reuters) - A dozen undocumented migrants on Mexico's southern border sewed their mouths shut on Tuesday in a bid to convince the country's immigration authority to grant them passage toward the U.S. border.

The migrants, mostly Central and South Americans, helped each other seal their lips using needles and plastic threads, leaving a small space to consume liquids and using alcohol to wipe away drops of blood from the stitches, Reuters images show.

WASHINGTON/TORONTO, Feb 15 (Reuters) - The leak website Distributed Denial of Secrets on Tuesday said it has posted more donor files from the fundraising platform GiveSendGo relating to the Canadian movement of people opposed to pandemic health measures, including COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

On Sunday, the DDoS website, which is devoted to disseminating leaked data, said it was releasing donor information relating to the "Freedom Convoy 2022" campaign, which raised more than $2 million in donations. It includes funds raised from several Canadian business owners.

MEXICO CITY, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Various events have been held in Mexico to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Mexico.

The Mexican Senate Monday celebrated bilateral ties with an event attended by various Mexican authorities, legislators and academics, as well as Chinese diplomats.

Mexico and China continue to endorse "a mutual commitment of loyalty and trust" after half a century of diplomatic relations, said Olga Sanchez Cordero, president of the Mexican Senate, when addressing the event.

UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The humanitarian situation in Somalia remains extremely dire, with almost half of the population requiring assistance in 2022, said James Swan, the top UN envoy for Somalia, on Tuesday.

Somalia is the most severely drought-affected country in the Horn of Africa, with 4.3 million people impacted and more than 270,000 people newly displaced due to drought. With the next rains in April likely to be the fourth below-average cycle, Somalia is facing a potential humanitarian catastrophe, he told the Security Council in a briefing.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is telling Congress that it needs an additional $30 billion to press ahead with the fight against COVID-19, officials said Tuesday.

Two people familiar with the administration’s plan confirmed key details: $17.9 billion for vaccines and treatments, $4.9 billion for testing, $3 billion to cover coronavirus care for uninsured people, and $3.7 billion to prepare for future variants. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss deliberations between the administration and lawmakers over the supplemental funding.

NEW YORK (AP) — Questions about Donald Trump’s business practices are piling up. Whether the former president is forced to answer any of them under oath could be decided in a matter of days.

New York’s attorney general will go to court Thursday seeking to enforce a subpoena for Trump’s testimony in a civil investigation she says uncovered evidence his company used “fraudulent or misleading” valuations of golf clubs, skyscrapers and other properties to get loans and tax benefits.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has accused China of failing to meet its commitments to the World Trade Organization and says it is exploring new ways to combat aggressive Chinese trade practices.

In its annual report on Chinese compliance with WTO rules, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said Wednesday that China isn’t keeping the promises it made to open its markets to foreign competition when it joined the 164-country Geneva-based agency in 2001.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is ordering the release of Trump White House visitor logs to the House committee investigating the riot of Jan. 6, 2021, once more rejecting former President Donald Trump’s claims of executive privilege.

The committee has sought a trove of data from the National Archives, including presidential records that Trump had fought to keep private. The records being released to Congress are visitor logs showing appointment information for individuals who were allowed to enter the White House on the the day of the insurrection.

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — The arrest of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández and the images that followed — a leader shackled and paraded before the cameras like a common criminal — were a stunning reversal for a man who for years seemed impervious to growing allegations of corruption.