USA

NEW YORK (AP) — The man accused of pushing a woman to her death in a New York City subway station was arraigned on a murder charge Wednesday and ordered held without bail.

Simon Martial, 61, was charged with second-degree murder in the death of Michelle Alyssa Go, who was shoved in front of a subway train in the Times Square station on Saturday.

A mental fitness exam was ordered for Martial, who authorities said was on parole for a prior felony conviction at the time of the attack. His next court date is Feb. 23.

WASHINGTON (AP) — During his first year in office, President Joe Biden took action on a number of his key campaign promises, from rebuilding U.S. alliances globally to distributing vaccines across America and the world.

But others remain works in progress or dependent on Congress to address. That’s particularly true of his promises to reform the nation’s immigration system, where Biden is caught between the demands of his Democratic base and Latino voters and the realities of a steep influx of migrants to the U.S.

(AP) --- Although the FBI initially said the man who held four people hostage at a Texas synagogue was focused on an issue “not specifically related to the Jewish community,” the captor voiced beliefs that Jews controlled the world and had the power to arrange the release of a prisoner, survivors said after their escape.

The gunman’s words were all too familiar to Jewish leaders and terror experts, who saw the attack on Congregation Beth Israel as yet another in the rising number of antisemitic hate crimes, a sign of the continued need of vigilance and interfaith solidarity.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration will begin making 400 million N95 masks available for free to Americans starting next week, now that federal officials are emphasizing their better protection against the omicron variant of COVID-19 over cloth face coverings.

WASHINGTON (AP) — One year into a presidency defined by lofty ambitions and at-times frustrating shortfalls, President Joe Biden will try to talk anxious Americans through the challenges of delivering on his lengthy to-do list as he holds a rare news conference and asks for patience with the pace of progress.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has rallied European allies to pledge as one that they will take tough measures against Russia if it rolls troops into Ukraine. But when it comes to what exactly the United States and Europe are willing to do, the allies don’t look as ringingly united.

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York attorney general’s office late Tuesday told a court its investigators had uncovered evidence that former President Donald Trump’s company used “fraudulent or misleading” asset valuations to get loans and tax benefits.

The court filing said state authorities haven’t yet decided whether to bring a civil lawsuit in connection with the allegations, but that investigators need to question Trump and his two eldest children as part of the probe.

Trump and his lawyers say the investigation is politically motivated.

UNITED NATIONS, Jan 18 (APP): Pakistan Tuesday called for “coherent and concerted” response to the “daunting” challenges the Group of 77 (developing countries) are facing to ensure that “none of us is left behind”.

“Our responsibility today to address the multiple challenges facing our countries is daunting,” Ambassador Munir Akram, who is the chairman of the the key group for 2022, told its first ambassadorial meeting.

WASHINGTON, Jan 18 (Reuters) - The White House is seeking to "reset" talks on its $1.75 trillion spending bill, aiming to salvage climate change measures but pare down or cut items like the child tax credit and paid family leave to appeal to U.S. Senator Joe Manchin and other Democrats as soon as this week, said two people working on the plan.

NEW YORK, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Oil prices on Tuesday climbed to their highest since 2014 as possible supply disruption after attacks in the Middle East added to an already tight supply outlook.

Brent crude futures rose 35 cents, or 0.4%, to $86.83 a barrelby 1:36 p.m. EST (1836 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 88 cents, or 1.1%, to $84.70 a barrel.

During the session, both benchmarks touched their highest since October 2014 with Brent at $88.13 and WTI at $85.74.