Acting Capitol Police chief delivers message to Congress, public

Yogananda Pittman issues statement regarding future of U.S. Capitol Police department

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    Kazakhstan will permanently ban foreigners from owning or renting farmland in the vast Central Asian nation, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Thursday, ending a lengthy dispute that once prompted anti-government protests. Kazakhstan is a major producer of grains, oilseeds and meat in the former Soviet region sandwiched between China and Russia and five years ago, its authorities decided to attract foreign investment into agriculture by opening up the farmland market. But, unusually for the tightly controlled nation of 19 million people, the plan was met with street protests where demonstrators expressed concerns that giant neighbour China would eventually snap up all the fields and pastures.

  • Gang clashes result in Ecuador's deadliest prison riots ever

    Ecuador experienced its deadliest prison riots ever this week when seemingly coordinated fights broke out in facilities in three different cities, leaving 79 inmates dead as of Wednesday and exposing the limited control that authorities have over people behind bars. Hundreds of police officers and military personnel converged on the prisons after the unrest began Monday night in the maximum-security wings as rival gangs fought for leadership. President Lenín Moreno, whose term ends in May, on Wednesday said he will ask other South American countries for help to tackle the crisis in Ecuador's prisons and acknowledged the system is deficient and lacks financial resources.

  • From ‘Dictator Biden’ T-shirts to Samurai Futurologists: Merchandise and promo stalls are most eye-opening part of CPAC

    Any doubt of who is in charge of the Republican party was quashed as a gold statue of Donald Trump was wheeled into the conference.

  • Ukraine names ex-finance minister as ambassador to U.S., to upgrade ties post-Trump

    Ukraine named a former finance minister as ambassador to the United States on Thursday, a sign of its push to upgrade ties with Washington under President Joe Biden after it was sucked into an awkward role in Donald Trump's first impeachment. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's office said he had appointed Oksana Markarova to focus on establishing "an effective dialogue" with the new administration, and to work with the U.S. Congress to strengthen bipartisan support for Ukraine. Ukraine hopes to restore the strong backing from Washington it enjoyed early in its seven-year conflict with Russian-backed separatists.

  • Brazilian Amazon: Juma descendants of 'last warrior' vow to carry on legacy

    After the death of the last male member of an indigenous group, his grandchildren take an unusual step.

  • U.S. aims to return to U.N. rights body, shield Israel

    U.S. President Joseph Biden's new administration said on Wednesday it would continue its international re-engagement by seeking election to the U.N. Human Rights Council where it will press to eliminate a "disproportionate focus" on ally Israel. Under former President Donald Trump's more isolationist approach, Washington quit the council in 2018 but the Biden government has already returned as an observer. "I'm pleased to announce the United States will seek election to the Human Rights Council for the 2022-24 term," Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the council by video.

  • One Columbia touting COVID safety campaign to help end arts ‘intermission’

    The arts and culture community has been particularly hampered by the global pandemic, with scores of performances canceled or altered in the last year.

  • Jose Abreu tests positive for virus; Miller says he had it

    American League MVP José Abreu tested positive for COVID-19 and will spend a few days away from the Chicago White Sox, while Cardinals reliever Andrew Miller told a St. Louis newspaper he tested positive 10 days before reporting to camp. White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said Wednesday in a statement that Abreu is “completely asymptomatic.” Hahn said testing also showed the presence of COVID-19 antibodies, and the Cuban slugger believes he had a mild case of the virus in January.

  • ‘Over the moon’ — Teachers are thrilled as they begin to get COVID vaccinations

    Four hundred Wake County school and childcare workers are getting vaccinated Wednesday.

  • No breakthrough at UK-EU talks, says Northern Ireland's Foster

    There was no breakthrough at a "hugely disappointing" meeting between the European Commission and the British government on Wednesday over post-Brexit trade issues in Northern Ireland, the region's first minister, Arlene Foster, said on Wednesday. The British government is demanding concessions from the European Union to minimise disruption in trade between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom that have emerged since Britain left the bloc's trading orbit in January.

  • Marjorie Taylor Greene calls Liz Cheney ‘a fool’ for criticising Trump

    Controversial congresswoman previously said the Republican party belong to former president

  • UK's Prince Philip 'a lot better' but to stay in hospital for treatment for infection

    Britain's Prince Philip is getting a lot better, his youngest son said on Tuesday after Buckingham Palace said the 99-year-old husband of Britain's Queen Elizabeth would remain in hospital for several more days to receive treatment for an infection. Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, walked into London's private King Edward VII Hospital last Tuesday evening after he was advised by his doctor to be admitted after he felt unwell, and has spent seven nights there. "He is comfortable and responding to treatment but is not expected to leave hospital for several days," Buckingham Palace said, adding he was receiving medical attention for an unspecified infection.

  • Pilots, exec convicted over Ghosn's Japan escape

    A business executive and two pilots have been convicted over their role in helping Carlos Ghosn escape from Japan. The former Nissan chief had been under house arrest charged with financial crimes - charges he has always denied. But in December 2019 he fled the country after allegedly being smuggled onto a private jet hidden inside a music case. On Wednesday (February 24) a Turkish court convicted an executive from the aircraft's operator, MNG Jet, on charges of migrant smuggling. Two pilots were also convicted. None of the three are expected to return to jail, having already spent some time in detention. One of the pilots said it was unfair to expect them to have known what was going on. Japanese police, security and customs didn't suspect anything, he says, so why should we. The men all pled not guilty, and plan to appeal. Ghosn remains in Beirut, his childhood home.

  • The science on halting the gene that causes heart disease

    Lipoprotein(a) is a particle made by the liver, which consists of cholesterol, fats and proteins. About 1 in 5 people have high levels of Lp(a), because of a specific gene variation in their DNA.

  • New Zealand edges Australia by four runs in 2nd T20

    Martin Guptill made a spectacular return to form, hitting eight sixes in a 50-ball innings of 97 which lifted New Zealand to a thrilling win over Australia by four runs in the second Twenty20 cricket international. Guptill led New Zealand to 219-7 as it batted first after losing the toss Thursday and Australia seemed out of the match when it slumped to 113-6 after 13 overs.

  • Israel sharing some COVID vaccines with Palestinians, Honduras, Czech Republic

    Israel said on Tuesday it was giving small amounts of surplus COVID-19 vaccines to Palestinian-run territories as well as to several countries. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not name which countries in a statement announcing the move. But the government of Guatemala - which opened its Israel embassy in Jerusalem last year - said it was expecting to receive 5,000 doses from Israel on Thursday.

  • The benefits of Biden's child allowance could be worth 8 times its cost, new report finds

    A cost-benefit analysis found that Biden's child tax-credit expansion would cost $100 billion annually but produce $800 billion in societal benefits.

  • Licht: Buccaneers open to giving Brady a contract extension

    The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are open to giving Tom Brady a contract extension. General manager Jason Licht reiterated Wednesday that the Super Bowl champions would like to keep the 43-year-old quarterback in uniform for as long as Brady wants to play. Licht declined to characterize any conversations the team’s had about that prospect.

  • Italian ambassador's body believed to be at field hospital

    Luca Attanasio, 43, Italian military policeman Vittorio Iacovacci, 30, and a Congolese driver, whose name has not been released, were confirmed dead by the Italian government in a statement.They were killed on Monday when their convoy was attacked at about 10:15 a.m. (0815 GMT) in an attempted kidnap near the town of Kanyamahoro, about 25 km (15 miles) north of the regional capital Goma, a spokesman for the Virunga National Park told Reuters.The driver was working for the U.N. World Food Programme, it said in a statement, adding that a number of other passengers were injured.

  • Biden, Trudeau pledge to counter China, climate change, in warm first 'meeting'

    U.S. President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sought on Tuesday to turn the page on the Trump era, stressing the countries' deep ties and pledging to work together to counteract Chinese influence and address climate change. "The United States has no closer friend, no closer friend than Canada," Biden told Trudeau via an electronic video link with the Canadian leader and top aides. "That's why you were my first call as president (and) my first bilateral meeting," he said.