North America

12 Sep 2021; AA: Unvaccinated individuals are 11 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than those who have taken the jab, according to data released Friday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Director Rochelle Wallensky said the findings are based on a review of cases, hospitalizations and deaths in 13 states, and are a testament to the "power of COVID-19 vaccination."

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Capitol Police said Saturday it has recommended disciplinary action in six cases after an internal review of officer behavior stemming from the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The department’s Office of Professional Responsibility opened 38 internal investigations and was able to identify 26 of the officers involved, the police said in a statement. It said in 20 of the cases, no wrongdoing was found.

CASTIAC, Calif. (AP) — A wildfire near Castaic Saturday has led to the closure of a part of a major freeway in Southern California, officials told local media.

The fire, known as the Route Fire, reached 392 acres, or a little more than half a square mile, as of 6:28 p.m. and forced the shutdown of a section of Interstate 5, the Angeles National Forest told KTLA-TV.

KTLA reported that the Route Fire is threatening structures, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Santa Clarita Valley station.

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Democratic allies of California Gov. Gavin Newsom continued to express confidence Saturday in his chances of beating back a recall but warned his supporters not to let up on urging people to vote as they seek a decisive win, while Republicans said the contest is far from settled.

“We don’t need to just win by a little, we need to win by a lot. We need to send a message: Hands off our democracy, hands off our California,” said April Verrett, president of the SEIU Local 2015, as she rallied union members who have been among Newsom’s biggest supporters.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a dire warning that the world is moving in the wrong direction and faces “a pivotal moment” where continuing business as usual could lead to a breakdown of global order and a future of perpetual crisis. Changing course could signal a breakthrough to a greener and safer future, he said.

The U.N. chief said the world’s nations and people must reverse today’s dangerous trends and choose “the breakthrough scenario.”

SHANKSVILLE, Pa. (AP) — Warning that the nation was falling into division and extremism, former President George W. Bush appealed Saturday for a return to the spirit of cooperation that emerged — almost instantaneously — after the 9/11 attacks 20 years ago.

Delivering the keynote address at the national memorial to the victims of Flight 93, who forced down their airplane hijacked by al-Qaida terrorists before it could be used as a weapon against the nation’s capital, Bush warned of “violence that gathers within.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI late Saturday released a newly declassified document related to logistical support given to two of the Saudi hijackers in the run-up to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The document details contacts the hijackers had with Saudi associates in the U.S. but does not provide proof that senior Saudi government officials were complicit in the plot.

HAMILTON, Ontario, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, facing possible defeat in a snap Sept. 20 election, on Friday defended his decision to call the election early and said his main rival would undermine the fight against COVID-19.

Trudeau, who heads a minority Liberal government that needs opposition support to pass legislation, had hoped Canadians would reward his handling of the coronavirus pandemic with a majority in the House of Commons.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- The United States has submitted an initial offer to the European Union (EU) that involves a tariff-rate-quota system to resolve a three-year dispute over steel imported from the bloc, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing a person familiar with the situation.

U.S. and EU officials will discuss the issue at the inaugural meeting of the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council on Sept. 29 in Pittsburgh, the report said, adding the U.S. initial offer pertained to steel only and didn't include aluminum shipments.

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday launched Our Common Agenda, a landmark new report, setting out his vision for the future of global cooperation and ushering in UN 2.0 era featuring "multilateralism with teeth."