USA

WASHINGTON, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The Memphis Zoo in Memphis, the U.S. state of Tennessee, held a farewell event for female giant panda Ya Ya on Saturday.

Hundreds of people reportedly attended the sendoff at the CHINA exhibit, where they said goodbye to Ya Ya, signed letters, and watched cultural performances.

"If you can't make it to the party, there's still time," the Memphis Zoo wrote in an Instagram post earlier this week. "Ya Ya will be here until the end of the month."

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden was winding up for a speech at a Minnesota clean energy facility when he spotted a lawmaker in the crowd whom he wanted to recognize.

“I want to thank you for being here,” Biden said, gesturing toward Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar during his recent visit. “You never stop working to level the playing field for everybody.”

WASHINGTON, Apr 08 (APP): Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Masood Khan, met the new President and CEO of the World Affairs Council of America (WACA), an independent organization which brings together leading foreign policy and international relations experts to discuss and debate global issues.

The meeting took place at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington, DC., on Friday.

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 08 (APP): World food prices declined for the 12th consecutive month in March, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a Rome-based UN agency, reported.

It was the first time the index had fallen for a full year, the agency said on Friday.

FAO’s broad Food Price Index slipped to 2.1 per cent in March, and it is now down to 20.5 per cent since reaching its all-time peak one year ago after a big surge following the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

NEW YORK, Apr 8 (NNN-XINHUA) – The U.S. dollar will play a much less dominant role than it is today, within the next ten years, due to a smaller share of the U.S. economy in the world, weaponisation of the U.S. dollar and the use of central bank digital currencies, said a renowned U.S. economist yesterday.

NASHVILLE, April 7 (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris flew to Nashville on Friday in a show of support for Tennessee state lawmakers expelled for staging a rule-breaking demonstration for gun control on the statehouse floor after a recent school shooting.

Republicans who control the Tennessee House of Representatives on Thursday expelled two young Black lawmakers who last week led protesters into the well of the House floor, while a resolution to remove a white representative came up one vote short.

April 8 (Reuters) - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ramped up his fight against Walt Disney Co (DIS.N), seeking to void an agreement that Disney passed to limit the power of a board appointed by DeSantis to oversee its Florida theme park property.

On Thursday in remarks made at Hillsdale College in Michigan, DeSantis said the legislature would void changes Disney made shortly before it lost control of the board.

April 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy said on Saturday a nuclear-powered guided-missile submarine was operating in the Middle East in support of the Bahrain-based U.S. Fifth Fleet.

The USS Florida entered the region on Thursday and began transiting the Suez Canal on Friday, Commander Timothy Hawkins said in a statement.

"It is capable of carrying up to 154 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles and is deployed to U.S. 5th Fleet to help ensure regional maritime security and stability," Hawkins said.

LOS ANGELES, April 7 (Xinhua) -- The largest U.S. maritime trade gateway was effectively shut down on Friday due to a shortage of West Coast port workers as negotiations for a new contract continued between the dockworker union and maritime shippers, sparking concerns about global supply chain disruption.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Unjustified use of force, dangerous vehicle pursuits and racially biased policing continue to be problems for the New Orleans Police Department, the U.S. Justice Department said in a Friday court filing, opposing the city’s move to terminate a decade-old court-backed reform agreement.

The city has made progress in turning itself around, Justice Department lawyers said. “But progress towards compliance is not the same as full and effective compliance that has proven durable,” Friday’s court filing said.