Page 25 - United States

US will require Covid testing for travellers from China as infections surge

The US announced new COVID-19 testing requirements on Wednesday for all travellers from China, joining other nations imposing restrictions because of a surge of infections. The increase in cases across China follows the rollback of the nation's strict anti-virus controls. China's "zero COVID" policies had kept China's infection rate low but fuelled public frustration and crushed economic growth. Beginning Jan. 5, all travellers to the US from China will be required to take a COVID-19 test no more than two days before travel and provide a negative test before boarding their flight. The testing applies to anyone 2 years and older. Other countries have taken similar steps in an effort to keep infections from spreading beyond China's borders. Japan will require a negative COVID-19 test upon arrival for travellers from China, and Malaysia announced new tracking and surveillance measures. India, South Korea and Taiwan are requiring virus tests for visitors from China. Lunar New Year, whi

Global arms sales: Change is underway

There are signs of a significant shift away from the world's major weapons-producing region, with impressive gains for China, and to an extent, India

Illegal immigration from India to US rose in last 2 months, doubled in 2022

In just the last two months, a total of 13,655 illegal immigrants from India were caught compared to 6,865 during those two months in 2021, the data showed

Pakistan to seek US help to secure $13 bn loans at Geneva meet for projects

Over two dozen infrastructure projects worth $13 billion will be shared that have been cleared by relevant and competent forums and are ready to be invested in at any time

US responsible for Ukraine crisis, seeks to reap economic benefits: Lavrov

"It is no longer a secret that victory over Russia "on the battlefield" is the strategic goal of the United States and its NATO allies," he said

Nearly 4,900 flights cancelled in 24 hours in US due to deadly winter storm

Since the storm began on December 22, nearly 20,000 flights have been cancelled across the US, according to flight tracking service FlightAware

Countries restrict entry of Chinese travellers as Beijing lifts Covid curbs

Uncertainty over the true scale of infections without reliable official figures is fueling concern that the rapid spread of the virus could lead to the emergence of new variants

Washington-Moscow relationship at its lowest point: Sergey Lavrov

"Undoubtedly, our relations with the European Union have deteriorated to a historic low. The reasons for this are well known," he added

US House bans TikTok on all House-managed devices over 'security risks'

With this move, the US House joins the list of a number of government entities that have imposed the ban on the Chinese-owned social media app

President Biden signs bill to study salt lakes in drought-hit US West

Scientists will get USD 25 million to study salt lake ecosystems in the drought-stricken U.S. West, as President Joe Biden signed legislation Tuesday allocating the funds in the face of unprecedented existential threats caused by the lack of water. The funding allows the United States Geological Survey to study the hydrology of the ecosystems in and around Utah's Great Salt Lake, California's Mono Lake, Oregon's Lake Albert and other saline lakes. Amid a decades-long drought, less snowmelt has flowed through the rivers that feed into the lakes, causing shorelines to recede and lake levels to plummet. Dwindling lake levels jeopardize the people, animals and businesses that rely on maintaining the ecosystem. The lakes often serve as critical habitats for migratory birds. Dust exposed by receding water levels can be blown into the air and have dangerous health effects on surrounding communities. And further depletion threatens the canals and infrastructure that a multi-million dollar

Explainer: What will happen if Covid asylum restrictions in the US end

Since the pandemic began, the United States has been using a public health rule designed to limit the spread of disease to expel asylum-seekers on the southern border. Title 42, as it's called, has been used more than 2.5 million times to expel migrants since March 2020, although that number includes people who repeatedly attempted to cross the border. The Supreme Court said in a ruling Tuesday that it would keep Title 42 in place indefinitely. The case will be argued in February, and the stay will be maintained until the justices decide the case. In November, a federal judge ruled that immigration authorities could no longer use Title 42 to quickly expel prospective asylum-seekers and set a Dec. 21 deadline for its use to end. That set off a legal back-and-forth with a group of conservative-leaning states pushing to keep Title 42 in place and the federal government and immigration advocates say its time is over. The change comes as surging numbers of people are seeking to enter th

US SC keeps pandemic-era immigration limits in place indefinitely

The Supreme Court is keeping pandemic-era limits on immigration in place indefinitely, dashing hopes of immigration advocates who had been anticipating their end this week. In a ruling Tuesday, the Supreme Court extended a temporary stay that Chief Justice John Roberts issued last week. Under the court's order, the case will be argued in February and the stay will be maintained until the justices decide the case. The limits were put in place under then-President Donald Trump at the beginning of the pandemic. Under the restrictions, officials have expelled asylum-seekers inside the United States 2.5 million times and turned away most people who requested asylum at the border on grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19. The restrictions are often referred to as Title 42 in reference to a 1944 public health law. "We are deeply disappointed for all the desperate asylum seekers who will continue to suffer because of Title 42, but we will continue fighting to eventually end the policy

Southwest Airlines under scrutiny after wave of storm cancellations

The US Department of Transportation said it will look into flight cancellations by Southwest Airlines that have left travelers stranded at airports across the country amid an intense winter storm that has killed dozens of people. Many airlines were forced to cancel flights due to the weather, but Southwest was by far the leader in canceled flights. About 4,000 domestic U.S. flights were cancelled Monday, according to the tracking website FlightAware, and 2,900 of those were Southwest's. Problems at Southwest continued Tuesday, and the airline warns it will be operating at a reduced scheduled for days. Other major airlines, including American, United, Delta and JetBlue, suffered cancellations rates of between none and 2% Tuesday. The cancellation rate at Southwest Airlines was 62%, according to FlightAware, after the airline cancelled more that 70% of its flights Monday. Southwest spokesman Jay McVay said at a press conference in Houston that cancellations snowballed as storm system

Immigrant graduates earn more than their US-born peers, shows study

Full-time, college-educated immigrant workers have higher monthly earnings of $7,140 compared to their US-born counterparts at $6,500

US city struggles to get pressure to water system, issues boil water notice

This summer, torrential rain in the Jackson area caused floodwater to seep into a water treatment plant, leading to the failure of the backup pumps upon which the facility relied

Frigid monster storm across US claims at least 34 lives, advisories issued

Millions of people hunkered down against a deep freeze Sunday to ride out the winter storm that has killed at least 29 people across the United States and is expected to claim more lives after trapping some residents inside houses with heaping snow drifts and knocking out power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses. The scope of the storm has been nearly unprecedented, stretching from the Great Lakes near Canada to the Rio Grande along the border with Mexico. About 60 per cent of the US population faced some sort of winter weather advisory or warning, and temperatures plummeted drastically below normal from east of the Rocky Mountains to the Appalachians, the National Weather Service said. Travellers' weather woes are likely to continue, with hundreds of flight cancellations already and more expected after a bomb cyclone when atmospheric pressure drops very quickly in a strong storm developed near the Great Lakes, stirring up blizzard conditions, including heavy winds and ..

What is Covid variant XBB that accounts for more than 18% of US cases?

The XBB subvariant of Covid-19's Omicron variant is fast emerging as the dominant type in India, and now it accounts for more than 18 per cent of cases in the US as well

Frigid monster storm across United States claims at least 24 lives

Millions of people hunkered down against a deep freeze on Sunday morning to ride out the frigid storm that has killed at least 24 people across the United States and is expected to claim more lives after trapping some residents inside houses with heaping snow drifts and knocking out power to several hundred thousand homes and businesses. The scope of the storm has been nearly unprecedented, stretching from the Great Lakes near Canada to the Rio Grande along the border with Mexico. About 60 per cent of the US population faced some sort of winter weather advisory or warning, and temperatures plummeted drastically below normal from east of the Rocky Mountains to the Appalachians, the National Weather Service said. Some 1,346 domestic and international flights were cancelled as of early Sunday, according to the tracking site FlightAware. Forecasters said a bomb cyclone when atmospheric pressure drops very quickly in a strong storm had developed near the Great Lakes, stirring up blizz

From pest to ecosystem engineer

The writer Leila Philip adds to a genre of pro-beaver literature that turns out to be more populous than most of us may have known

Winter storm batters US power, snarling Christmas travel plans

A battering winter storm left nearly 2 million homes and businesses without power across the United States on Saturday, as millions more people were left to worry how the prospect of further outages would effect holiday and travel plans. The blinding blizzards, freezing rain and frigid cold that enveloped much of the country knocked out power to 1.7 million households and businesses, while major electricity grid operator warned the 65 million people it serves across the eastern US that rolling blackouts might be required. Pennsylvania-based PJM Interconnection said power plants are having difficulty operating in the frigid weather and has asked residents to refrain from unnecessary use of electricity. It issued an emergency call for conservation system-wide - asking residents in 13 states to set thermostats lower than usual, to postpone use of major appliances like stoves and dishwashers and to turn off nonessential lights. Commercial and industrial power users have also been asked