North America

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Lowering tariffs imposed by the former Trump administration on Chinese goods could help ease some inflationary pressures, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said.

Yellen made the remarks Thursday at Reuters Next, a virtual global conference held from Wednesday to Friday, during which she said the tariffs of up to 25 percent on hundreds of billions of U.S. dollars worth of annual imports from China "do contribute to the higher prices in the United States."

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang on Thursday night said China will work with the U.S. side to implement the spirit of the meeting between the presidents and inject more positive energy into relations between the two countries.

Qin made the remarks at the annual gala of the U.S.-China Business Council (USCBC) in Washington, D.C.

DENVER (AP) — A judge ruled Friday that a man charged with killing 10 people at a Colorado supermarket earlier this year is mentally incompetent to stand trial and ordered him to be treated at the state mental hospital to see if he can be made well enough to face prosecution.

Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 22, is accused of opening fire at a busy King Soopers in the college town of Boulder in March, killing a police officer, shoppers and several store employees.

(AP) --- Alabama, Florida and Mississippi are receiving more than $103 million in BP oil spill settlement money for new and continued coastal projects.

“These projects, combined with existing investments, continue to advance our goal of protecting and restoring species and habitats impacted by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill,” Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, said Thursday.

ATLANTA (AP) — Stacey Abrams announced a long-awaited second run for Georgia governor this week, but with Democrats facing a sour national environment and Republican Gov. Brian Kemp facing challenges within his own party, the 2022 campaign will look different from 2018.

Abrams’ narrow loss, highlighted by her claims that Kemp used his prior post as secretary of state to unfairly push voters away, vaulted her to national stardom in a year when Democrats nationwide capitalized on then-President Donald Trump’s unpopularity.

04 Dec 2021; MEMO: The iPhones of at least nine senior US officials have been hacked by sophisticated spyware developed by Israeli-based NSO Group, Reuters revealed on Friday.

The US officials are employees of the US State Department, Reuters reported, and the iPhones were hacked in recent months.

Reuters disclosed two of its sources stating that the US State Department employees were either based in Uganda or focused on matters relating to Uganda.

Washington, Dec 4 (AP) President Joe Biden pledged Friday to make it very, very difficult for Russia's Vladimir Putin to take military action in Ukraine as U.S. intelligence officials determined that Russian planning is underway for a possible military offensive that could begin as soon as early 2022.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection has postponed a deposition with a former Justice Department official Saturday due to a “medical condition that precludes his participation,” according to a panel spokesman.

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A prosecutor filed involuntary manslaughter charges Friday against the parents of a teen accused of killing four students at a Michigan high school, saying they failed to intervene on the day of the tragedy despite being confronted with a drawing and chilling message — “blood everywhere” — that was found at the boy’s desk.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden pledged on Friday to make it “very, very difficult” for Russia’s Vladimir Putin to take military action in Ukraine as U.S. intelligence officials determined that Russian planning is underway for a possible military offensive that could begin as soon as early 2022.