USA

15 Feb 2023; MEMO: The twin earthquakes that devastated south-central Turkiye and northern Syria on 6 February is one of the greatest disasters of the 21st century, according to the UN.

Reuters reported United Nations relief coordinator Martin Griffiths saying that the reported death toll is likely to "double or more."

Nearly 26 million people have been directly impacted by the quake, and many of these will face the threat of hunger, disease and physical and psychological trauma, the report added.

WASHINGTON, Feb 14 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — The Government of the United States has taken temporary control of the premises where the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington DC used to function following the dissolution of the so-called interim government of Juan Guaidó, it was reported during the weekend citing State Department sources admitting that the premises had been seized on Feb 6.

President Joseph Biden’s Administration made this decision under the Foreign Missions Act and the Vienna Convention, in order to respect and protect the facilities of suspended diplomatic missions.

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 14 (NNN-XINHUA) – UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, was deeply concerned by Israeli security cabinet’s announcement that, it decided to authorise nine settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank, his spokesman said, yesterday.

“If these measures are implemented, they would further undermine prospects for a viable two-state solution,” Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman, told a regular press briefing.

NEW YORK, Feb 14 (Reuters) - The dollar fell to a roughly two-week low on Tuesday after data showed consumer prices rose in January but posted their smallest annual rise since October 2021, affirming expectations the Federal Reserve may be nearing the end of its monetary policy tightening cycle.

The U.S. currency briefly rose after the release of the data, but fell across the board a few minutes later.

WASHINGTON, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley said on Tuesday that she will seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, putting her at odds with one-time boss Donald Trump, the ex-president also seeking to win back the White House.

"I'm Nikki Haley and I'm running for president," Haley said in a video that her team sent out by email.

Haley, a former South Carolina governor who served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under Trump, will lay out her campaign plans in a speech in Charleston, South Carolina, on Wednesday.

Feb 13 (Reuters) - T-Mobile (TMUS.O) users across the United States reported network outages late on Monday, according to an outage tracking website, as the company said it was quickly addressing a disruption that had affected some cellular services.

The U.S. wireless carrier said it was working on resolving a problem that had caused intermittent issues with voice, messaging, and data services in several areas. It did not say how many users had been affected.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Syria’s president agreed to open two new crossing points from Turkey to the country’s rebel-held northwest to deliver desperately needed aid and equipment to help millions of earthquake victims, the United Nations announced Monday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. inflation likely slowed again last month in the latest sign that consumer price increases are becoming less of a burden on America’s households. But Tuesday’s report from the government may also suggest that further progress in taming inflation could be slow and “bumpy,” as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has described it.

Consumer prices are expected to have risen 6.2% in January from 12 months earlier, down from a 6.5% year-over-year surge in December. It would amount to the seventh straight slowdown.

13 Feb 2023; MEMO: Gulf countries have provided Arab states with $54 billion over the past five years to support them in facing challenges, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, said yesterday.

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A gunman who opened fire at Michigan State University killed three people and wounded five, setting off an hourslong manhunt as frightened students hid in classrooms and cars. The shooter eventually killed himself, police announced early Tuesday.

Officials do not know why the 43-year-old man, whose name was not immediately released, targeted the campus. He was not a student or employee and had no affiliation with the university, according to campus police.