North America

OTTAWA, Feb 7 (Reuters) - As the protest against the Canadian government's health measures and vaccine mandates entered an eleventh day on Monday, police have threatened to clamp down after facing criticism for lack of action that has crippled the national capital.

The "Freedom Convoy" consisting largely of truckers began as a movement against a Canadian vaccine requirement for cross-border drivers. But it has since evolved into a rallying point against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's strict measures to fight the pandemic.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A caravan of vehicles drove through Minneapolis demanding justice in the death of Amir Locke, the 22-year old Black man who was fatally shot by Minneapolis police as officers served a no-knock search warrant.

Sunday’s caravan of about 50 vehicles was organized by the Racial Justice Network and other police accountability groups.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A White House review found credible evidence that top scientist Dr. Eric Lander violated its “Safe and Respectful Workplace Policy,” but the administration plans to keep him on the job after giving him counseling.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — North Korea has continued to develop its nuclear and ballistic missile programs including its capability to produce nuclear device components in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, U.N. experts said in a new report.

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — A former Costa Rican president took an early lead in a national election that seemed likely to head to a runoff between the top candidates.

José María Figueres, who was the country’s president from 1994 to 1998, had 27.7% of the vote in preliminary results released by the Supreme Elections Tribunal Sunday night with 48% of the votes counted. Figueres is the candidate for the National Liberation Party.

HIRAM, Ga. (AP) — In her pitch to voters, Jennifer Strahan introduces herself as a mother, a Christian and a conservative. She usually skips over the fellow Republican she hopes to topple later this spring: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

That’s because virtually everyone in this northwest Georgia congressional district already has an opinion about Greene, whose extreme rhetoric has left her stripped of committee assignments in Washington and her personal Twitter account permanently banned.

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday that Russia could invade Ukraine “any day,” launching a conflict that would come at an “enormous human cost.”

The senior adviser to President Joe Biden offered another stark warning the day after U.S. officials confirmed that Russia has assembled at least 70% of the military firepower it likely intends to have in place by mid-month to give President Vladimir Putin the option of launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

WASHINGTON, Feb 06 (APP): Braving freezing temperatures, a large number of Kashmiris, Pakistanis and their allies Saturday staged a demonstration in front of the Indian embassy here at which speakers drew attention to the grave situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir and urged the world community to implement the UN-pledged right to self-determination to the Kashmiri people.

Wrapped up in woolies, the participants raised vociferous and waved placards reading: “We Demand Human Rights”, “Wake up, wake up — UN — wake up”, “Indian army out of Kashmir” and “India: free Kashmir.”

UN, February 6. /TASS/: The speculation of Western countries about how many days Kiev can fall in the course of a potential Russian invasion is madness and scaremongering, Russian First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy said on Sunday.

"Madness and scaremongering continue. What if we would say that US could seize London in a week and cause 300K civilian deaths? All this based on our intelligence sources that we won’t disclose," Polyanskiy said in a Twitter post. "Would it feel right for Americans and Britts? It’s as wrong for Russians and Ukrainians".

HAVANA, Feb 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Cuba on Saturday announced a new 10 percent tax on retail food sales, as the country endures economic woes marked by rampant inflation.

   The levy taking effect Monday will target self-employed people and small-and medium-sized companies in the retail food sector, said the decree published in the official government gazette. These sales were only allowed starting in August of last year as part of reforms in the communist run island.