USA

The U.S.-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act of 2018 was approved by US Senate on Wednesday will codify into law the $38 billion defense aid package for Israel.

The $38 billion deal, negotiated in the final days of the Obama administration in 2016 is the most generous ever to Israel. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has been instrumental in securing this deal.

WASHINGTON, August 3. /TASS/. The United States expanded its sanctions list related to North Korea, adding the Russian Agrosoyuz bank, a Russian individual and a company from each of China and North Korea, the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) reports on Friday.

Restrictions were introduced for alleged violations of the US sanctions regime and UN security resolutions by the said persons, an explanatory note to the document says.

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- U.S. tech giant Apple became the first American company that saw its market cap hit 1 trillion U.S. dollars in the U.S. history after its shares rose 2.8 percent to a session high of 207.05 dollars around midday trading on Thursday.

Investors pushed Apple's market capitalization over the 1-trillion-dollar threshold amid expectations of new iPhones to be launched this fall, plus a record third-quarter financial report that the California-based company garnered a whopping 53.3 billion dollars in revenue.

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese smartphone maker Huawei has surpassed Apple to become the world's second-largest smartphone seller, a market research firm said.

Huawei shipped around 54.2 million handsets for the second quarter this year, showcasing a 40.9 percent year-on-year growth and a 15 percent global market share, while Apple shipped about 41.3 million units, according to data from the U.S.-based International Data Corporation (IDC).

2 Aug 2018; AFP; The United States on Wednesday hit two top Turkish officials with sanctions over the ongoing detention of an American pastor facing terror charges, heaping pressure on Ankara to release the prisoner fueling a bitter diplomatic feud.

2 Aug 2018; AFP; Sixty-five years after the Korean War ended, the remains of dozens of American soldiers killed during the brutal conflict are finally coming home.

Wednesday's repatriation marks an important step after US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held a summit, during which Kim agreed to send home the war dead.

2 Aug 2018; AFP; Donald Trump on Wednesday told his attorney general to end the high-profile investigation into Russian election meddling that has ensnared key members of his presidential campaign and cast a long shadow over his White House.

In a series of tweets that quickly sparked accusations that Trump was publicly trying to pervert justice, the president decried the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller as "a disgrace."

Jarrod Ramos 38, accused of killing four Capital Gazette journalists and a sales assistant in Annapolis, Maryland, has entered a plea of not guilty to all 23 charges against him.

Ramos’ lawyers entered the plea with the Anne Arundel county circuit court. Ramos did not appear in court. He remains jailed without bond.

A Wisconsin man has had four limbs amputated after contracting a blood infection caused by his dog’s saliva.

Greg Manteufel, 48 from West Bend, Wisconsin, had flue like symptom, including fever, vomiting and diarrhea, when he went to hospital on June 27 but went into septic shock within hours of being admitted.

1 Aug 2018; AFP; A US judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked the online publication of blueprints for 3D-printed firearms, in a last-ditch effort to stop a settlement President Donald Trump's administration had reached with the company releasing the digital documents.

Eight states and the District of Columbia, that houses the capital Washington, had filed a lawsuit against the federal government, calling its settlement with Texas-based Defense Distributed "arbitrary and capricious."