USA

WASHINGTON (AP) — When President Joe Biden first announced the framework he’d reached with a bipartisan group of senators for a big infrastructure bill, he said it meant more than building roads and bridges.

Agreement, he said two months ago, would send a signal “to ourselves and to the world that American democracy can deliver.”

The senators who led the legislation to passage Tuesday agreed.

“We all knew that, quite honestly, that the world was watching,” said Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats pushed their expansive $3.5 trillion framework for bolstering family services, health, and environment programs toward Senate passage early Wednesday, as Republicans unleashed an avalanche of amendments aimed at making their rivals pay a price in next year’s elections.

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 10 (APP): Pakistan Monday told the UN Security Council that India’s “belligerent and aggressive” policies posed an immediate and pervasive threat to international and regional peace and security, especially as the Indians had nuclearized the Indian Ocean, an important avenue for global trade.

“In pursuance of its hegemonic designs, India has nuclearized the Indian Ocean and continues to induct advanced weapons systems and naval delivery platforms,”Ambassador Munir Akram said in a written statement submitted to the 15-member Council, which was held virtually.

WASHINGTON, Aug 10 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US officials vowed to review classified documents related to the Sept 11, 2001 terror attacks to see which could be made public — a recurring demand of some victims’ relatives.

The FBI said in a letter to the US attorney for the southern district of New York that it “has decided to review” its prior privilege to not disclose certain sensitive documents and will “identify additional information appropriate for disclosure.”

WASHINGTON, Aug 10 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned against travel to Israel, France, Thailand, Iceland and several other countries because of a rising number of COVID-19 cases in those nations.

The CDC has been adding to its highest “Level 4: Very High” COVID-19 level as cases spread around the globe.

The United States added Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, along with other places, including Aruba and French Polynesia.

10 Aug 2021; MEMO: The nearly two-decade-long campaign by the families of victims of the September 11 2001 terror attack to expose the alleged role the Saudi Arabian government played has been given a new lease of life following a decision by President Joe Biden to offer his support into a "fresh review" of classified documents.

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- China said on Monday the United States is not qualified to make irresponsible remarks on the issue of South China Sea.

"The United States itself is not qualified to make irresponsible remarks on the issue of South China Sea," Dai Bing, charge d'affaires of China's permanent mission to the United Nations, told the Security Council meeting on maritime security.

(AP) --- Earth is getting so hot that temperatures in about a decade will probably blow past a level of warming that world leaders have sought to prevent, according to a report released Monday that the United Nations called a “code red for humanity.”

“It’s just guaranteed that it’s going to get worse,” said report co-author Linda Mearns, a senior climate scientist at the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research. “Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.”

But scientists also eased back a bit on the likelihood of the absolute worst climate catastrophes.

DENVER (AP) — As a police sergeant in a rural town, Carlos Cornejo isn’t the prototypical social media influencer. But his Spanish-language Facebook page with 650,000 followers was exactly what Colorado leaders were looking for as they recruited residents to try to persuade the most vaccine-hesitant.

Cornejo, 32, is one of dozens of influencers, ranging from busy moms and fashion bloggers to African refugee advocates and religious leaders, getting paid by the state to post vaccine information on a local level in hopes of stunting a troubling summer surge of COVID-19.