USA

27 September 2023; MEMO: The Biden administration announced, Wednesday, that it is admitting Israel into the United States Visa Waiver Program (VWP), allowing visa-free entry by Israeli citizens from 30 November, officials said.

UNITED NATIONS, Sep 27 (APP): The U.N. General Assembly is holding an informal meeting Wednesday afternoon to review the implementation of its last year’s resolution calling on the world community to increase aid and keep up the political will to support the country’s recovery long-term.

That resolution also expressed solidarity with the government and people of Pakistan in dealing with the aftermath of the devastation left behind the climate-induced flooding.

WASHINGTON, Sept 27 (Reuters) - The U.S. government announced on Wednesday it is admitting Israel into a program that will allow visa-free entry by Israeli citizens starting Nov. 30.

Admission to the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which Israel's Foreign Ministry said was expected, is a win for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a time when relations between his religious-nationalist government and Washington have been strained over its judiciary overhaul plan and policies toward Palestinians.

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- The General Debate of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) concluded Tuesday, with global leaders stating that the UN remains a paramount platform for crafting solutions to humanity's challenges.

In his concluding remarks, General Assembly President Dennis Francis underscored the unwavering dedication of the UN to bring peace, prosperity, and sustainability to the world.

"The United Nations remains focused on the collective challenges of our time," he said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday told leaders from the 18-member Pacific Islands Forum that he has heard their warnings about the impact of climate change on their region and that his administration is committed to helping them meet the challenge.

Pacific islands leaders gathered Monday for the start of a two-day Washington summit. Many have been critical of rich countries for not doing enough to control climate change despite being responsible for much of the problem, and for profiting from loans provided to vulnerable nations to mitigate the effects.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has secured the release of a U.S. soldier who sprinted across a heavily fortified border into North Korea more than two months ago, and he is on his way back to America, officials announced Wednesday. U.S. ally Sweden and rival China helped with the transfer.

Left unanswered were questions of why Pyongyang—which has tense relations with Washington over the North’s nuclear program, support for Russia’s war in Ukraine and other issues—had agreed to turn him over and why the soldier had fled in the first place.

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (AP) — Republicans are meeting for their second presidential debate on Wednesday as Donald Trump’s top rivals seek to blunt the momentum of the former president, who is so confident of cruising through the party’s primary that he again won’t share a stage with them.

WASHINGTON (AP) — As the Senate marches ahead with a bipartisan approach to prevent a government shutdown, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is back to square one — asking his hard-right Republicans to do what they have said they would never do: approve their own temporary House measure to keep the government open.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A judge’s ruling that Donald Trump committed fraud as he built his real-estate empire tarnishes the former president’s image as a business titan and could strip him of his authority to make major decisions about the future of his marquee properties in his home state.

The Tuesday order rescinds business licenses as punishment, which could make it difficult or impossible for some of Trump’s companies to operate in New York if not successfully appealed.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The former boyfriend of a central Kentucky woman who disappeared more than eight years ago has been arrested on charges stemming from the investigation, the FBI and Kentucky State Police said Wednesday in a statement.

Brooks Houck was arrested without incident on charges stemming from the Crystal Rogers investigation, the statement said. The indictment remains sealed and additional details will be revealed during Houck’s arraignment in early October in the Nelson County Circuit Court, according to the statement.