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USA: Biden holds off on climate emergency declaration

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will travel to Massachusetts on Wednesday to promote his efforts to combat climate change but will stop short of issuing an emergency declaration that would unlock federal resources to deal with the issue, according to a person familiar with the president’s plans.

Ukraine's first lady to address U.S. Congress on Wednesday

WASHINGTON, July 18 (Reuters) - Ukraine's first lady, Olena Zelenska, will deliver remarks to the U.S. Congress on Wednesday, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office said.

U.S. lawmakers will host Zelenska, the wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, at 11 a.m. (1500 GMT), Pelosi's office said in a statement on Monday.

U.S. says no indication American's detention in UAE linked to Khashoggi

WASHINGTON, July 18 (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department on Monday said it has seen "no indication at this point" that the detention of an American in the United Arab Emirates is linked to his ties to slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

"But we are still gathering information," State Department spokesman Ned Price said.

UAE authorities last week detained Asim Ghafoor, a U.S. citizen and civil rights attorney who previously served as a lawyer for Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist killed by Saudi agents in 2018 at the kingdom's Istanbul consulate. 

US Rep. Hice fights subpoena in Georgia election probe

ATLANTA (AP) — Republican U.S. Rep. Jody Hice of Georgia is fighting a subpoena seeking to have him testify before a special grand jury that is investigating whether former President Donald Trump and others illegally tried to interfere in the 2020 election in the state.

The subpoena, which Hice received on June 29, orders him to appear before the special grand jury in Atlanta on Tuesday, his lawyer said in a court filing. Hice on Monday filed a motion to quash the subpoena in federal court in Atlanta.

USA: Delta places order for 100 Boeing 737 aircraft

(AP) --- Delta is ordering 100 737 Max 10 airplanes, the largest of the line produced by Boeing, potentially giving the manufacturer additional momentum after a troubled rollout of its most advanced aircraft.

Delta has an option to purchase 30 more of the aircraft as the airline looks to keep up with surging travel demand.

Boeing has struggled to keep up with its European rival Airbus after a pair of 737 Max aircraft crashed in a short span of time, killing 346 passengers and crew members.

UN decries rising death toll, rights violations in Haiti

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. human rights office on Saturday expressed concern about rising violence around Haiti’s capital, saying 99 people have been reported killed in recent fighting between rival gangs in the Cite Soleil district alone.

The warning came hours after the U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a resolution renewing the mandate of a U.N. office in the troubled Caribbean nation and calling on all countries to stop the transfer of small arms, light weapons and ammunition to anyone there supporting gang violence and criminal activity.

USA: Jury selection underway for ex-Trump adviser Steve Bannon

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jury selection began Monday in the trial of Steve Bannon, a one-time top adviser to former President Donald Trump. He is facing criminal contempt of Congress charges after refusing for months to cooperate with the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.

USA: Prosecutor recalls coldness, cruelty of Parkland gunman

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The trial to determine whether the gunman who attacked a Parkland, Florida, high school is executed began Monday with a prosecutor describing how Nikolas Cruz mowed down his 17 victims, returning to some as they lay wounded to kill them with a second volley.

USA Police: 3 people and gunman killed in Indiana mall shooting

GREENWOOD, Ind. (AP) — Three people were killed and two were wounded after a man walked into a suburban Indianapolis shopping mall and opened fire before an armed civilian shot and killed him, authorities said.

The assailant, whose name and possible motive haven’t been made public, walked into the Greenwood Park Mall with a rifle and several magazines of ammunition shortly before it closed at 6 p.m. Sunday and began firing in the food court, Greenwood police Chief Jim Ison said at a news conference.

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