USA

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A powerful storm brought drenching rain or heavy snowfall to much of California on Saturday, snarling traffic and closing highways as the state prepared to usher in a new year.

In the high Sierra Nevada, as much as 2 feet (0.6 meters) of snow could accumulate into early Sunday. The National Weather Service in Sacramento warned about hazardous driving conditions and posted photos on Twitter showing traffic on snow-covered mountain passes, where vehicles were required to have chains or four-wheel drive.

31 Dec 2022; MEMO: The UN General Assembly on Saturday passed a resolution seeking opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the legal consequences of Israel's illegal occupation of Palestinian territories, Anadolu reports.

The resolution was backed by 87 countries of the UN General Assembly members against 26 with 53 abstentions.

WASHINGTON, Dec 31 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) — US President Joe Biden offered pardons, for the third time this year, to several people prosecuted for drug or alcohol-related crimes.    

Biden offered clemency to six men convicted of drug and alcohol trafficking, as well as to a woman sentenced decades ago for killing her husband.

Beverly Ann Ibn-Tamas, 80, was 33 years old and pregnant when her husband physically and verbally abused and assaulted her moments before she shot him.

Dec 30 (Reuters) - Over 40% of COVID-19 cases in the United States are now caused by the highly contagious Omicron XBB.1.5, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed on Friday, with the subvariant doubling from the previous week.

Although many public health experts are expressing concern about the rising COVID cases in China, infectious disease experts have been increasingly worried about the XBB.1.5 variant.

MIAMI, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH.N) must pay $110 million in damages for use of a port that Cuba's government confiscated in 1960, a U.S. judge ruled on Friday, a milestone for Cuban-Americans seeking compensation for Cold-War era asset seizures.

The decision by U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom in Miami follows her March ruling that the use of the Havana Cruise Port Terminal constituted trafficking in confiscated property owned by the plaintiff, Delaware-registered Havana Docks Corp.

NEW YORK, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks dipped on Friday to end a tumultuous year as market participants remain concerned about the economic and profitability landscape.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 73.55 points, or 0.22 percent, to 33,147.25. The S&P 500 sank 9.78 points, or 0.25 percent, to 3,839.5. The Nasdaq Composite Index dipped 11.60 points, or 0.11 percent, to 10,466.48.

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- The General Assembly on Friday approved an annual regular budget for the United Nations of about 3.396 billion U.S. dollars.

The 2023 budget is higher than that of 2022, which stood at 3.122 billion dollars.

The regular budget covers UN activities across a range of areas, including political affairs, international justice and law, regional cooperation for development, human rights and humanitarian affairs, and public information.

NEW YORK, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- Wall Street had a brutal 2022, as surging U.S. inflation has prompted the most aggressive Federal Reserve rate hike campaign in decades, raising fears about a potential recession.

All three major indexes suffered their worst year since 2008. The Dow dropped 8.8 percent in 2022, while the S&P 500 tanked 19.4 percent and the technology-heavy Nasdaq slumped 33.1 percent.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly has asked the U.N.’s highest judicial body to give its opinion on the legality of Israeli policies in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem.

The Assembly voted by a wide margin, but with over 50 countries abstaining, on Friday evening to send one of the world’s longest-running and thorniest disputes to the International Court of Justice, a request promoted by the Palestinians and opposed vehemently by Israel.

Democrats in Congress released thousands of pages of former President Donald Trump’s tax returns Friday, providing the most detailed picture to date of his finances over a six-year period, including his time in the White House, when he fought to keep the information private in a break with decades of precedent.