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House approves ban on Russian oil to US, bolstering Biden

The House has overwhelmingly approved legislation that would ban Russian free energy imports to the United states of america. The bill approved Midweek dark goes further than the ban on Russian oil that President Joe Biden announced earlier this week in response to the escalating war in Ukraine. Information technology would as well encourage a review of Russia's trade condition in the World Trade Arrangement. And it would signal U.S. support for sanctions on Russian officials for human rights violations. Lawmakers in both parties have been eager to act to back up Ukraine, even at the take a chance of higher gas prices at habitation. The legislation now goes to the Senate. Read more than

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United House OKs $xiii.6B for Ukraine in huge spending bill

The Business firm has approved a massive spending pecker anchored by $13.6 billion for battered Ukraine and its European allies. The money covers the U.S. costs of sending troops and weapons to Eastern Europe and equipping centrolineal forces there in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion. There are also funds for humanitarian aid to help refugees and others. The money is part of a $one.v trillion beak financing federal agencies for the rest of this year. Earlier the bill could movement forward, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi agreed to remove all $15.5 billion from the legislation aimed at reinforcing U.Due south. efforts against the pandemic. Read more

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Airstrike hits Ukraine maternity infirmary, 17 reported hurt

A Russian airstrike has devastated a motherhood hospital in the besieged port city of Mariupol. Ukrainian officials say at least 17 people were wounded. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the strike trapped children and others under the rubble. The attack comes amidst growing warnings from the Due west that Moscow's invasion is about to take a more than brutal and indiscriminate turn. The Earth Wellness Organization says it has confirmed 18 attacks on health facilities and ambulances since the fighting began. Elsewhere, civilians are trying to escape shelling on the outskirts of Kyiv, and many of them are streaming toward the capital. Read more

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Russian federation-Ukraine war: Key developments in the ongoing conflict

Russian airstrikes accept striking iii hospitals in Ukraine, including two due west of the upper-case letter and a maternity hospital in Mariupol, where 17 people were wounded. Ukrainian officials labeled it a "war offense." The attacks came amid hopes for mass evacuations of civilians from several besieged Ukrainian cities, including Mariupol, which has been without food, h2o and power for days and which started burying bodies in a mass grave because its morgues are total. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Wednesday that about 35,000 civilians accept so far used humanitarian corridors to flee the fighting.    Read more than

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VanVleet, Raptors delay Popovich'southward record in win over Spurs

Fred VanVleet had 26 points and the Toronto Raptors beat the San Antonio Spurs 119-104 on Wednesday dark, delaying Gregg Popovich'southward coronation equally the winningest coach in NBA history. Popovich is tied with his friend and mentor, Don Nelson, with one,335 regular-season victories. San Antonio's side by side opportunity to get the record for its 73-year-old motorbus is Friday night at dwelling confronting Utah. VanVleet was 7 for fifteen from the field in his render from a 5-game absenteeism because of knee soreness. Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam added 20 points to assist Toronto snap a three-game skid.  Keldon Johnson had 27 points for San Antonio, and Dejounte Murray added 25 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds. The Spurs accept lost five of six games. Read more than

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Americans in Japanese prison in Ghosn escape seek to go home

Americans in Japanese prison house in Ghosn escape seek to go home

Two Americans imprisoned in Nippon for helping former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn avert trial and escape to Lebanon are hoping to serve the rest of their time in the U.Due south. Paul Kelly, the attorney for Michael Taylor and his son Peter Taylor, said the elder man was suffering from serious back hurting and frostbite. The U.S. Justice Department has requested the Taylors, who were convicted in the same trial, be transferred to a U.S. prison. Japan'southward Justice Ministry building must agree for the transfer to be carried out. The ministry building had no immediate comment. Ghosn fled to Lebanon in late 2019, hiding in a music musical instrument box aboard a private jet. Read more

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End of COVID funds? House eyes $15.6B, but outlook dim

End of COVID funds? Firm eyes $15.6B, just outlook dim

This could be the end of the line for congressional funding to fight COVID-19. The House is preparing a $fifteen.6 billion package that has almost no adventure of passing in the Senate. Speaker Nancy Pelosi calls the turn of events "heartbreaking." Pelosi had tried to attach the COVID help to a $1.v trillion budget bill. But rank-and-file Democrats revolted over the compromise with Republicans to pay for information technology with COVID funds already promised to the states. Pelosi was forced to abandon the compromise Wed and postpone votes. The White Business firm says the U.S. volition soon run out of funds for COVID testing and free treatments. Read more

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Booker has 23 points in return, Suns roll by Heat 111-xc

Devin Booker scored 23 points, Mikal Bridges added 21 and the Phoenix Suns shook off a slow commencement to vanquish the Miami Heat 111-90 on Midweek night in a matchup of the NBA's conference leaders. Phoenix clinched a playoff berth. Booker returned from a iv-game absence for virus-related bug and flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 9 assists and eight rebounds. Phoenix improved the NBA's best record to 53-thirteen. Duncan Robinson scored 22 points for Eastern Conference-leading Miami. Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro each scored 17 for the Rut, which played without Jimmy Butler (sinus congestion) and lost cardinal reserve Caleb Martin midway through the 2nd quarter to a knee injury. Read more

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Biden signs guild on cryptocurrency as its use explodes

President Joe Biden has signed an executive guild on authorities oversight of cryptocurrency that urges the Federal Reserve to explore whether the fundamental depository financial institution should create its own digital currency. The Biden administration sees the explosive popularity of cryptocurrency equally an opportunity to examine its risks and benefits. The executive order had been widely anticipated by the finance industry and others who have compared the cryptocurrency market with the Wild West. The gild comes amid growing concern Russian federation may be using cryptocurrency to avert the touch on of financial sanctions imposed past Western allies in response to the invasion of Ukraine. Read more

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Tiger Forest inducted into Hall with hard work and big payoff

Tiger Woods already is the greatest of his generation. Now he's enshrined with the best of all time. Woods has been inducted into the Earth Golf Hall of Fame. He choked upwards talking well-nigh his late begetter who instilled the need to work hard and earn results. Forest got those results. He has 82 wins on the PGA Tour and fifteen majors. And his influence on the sport is equally great as any. Also inducted are former PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem, three-time U.S. Women'southward Open champion Susie Berning and the belatedly visionary Marion Hollins. Read more

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DiCaprio donates to Ukraine, but earlier reports false

DiCaprio donates to Ukraine, simply earlier reports false

Leonardo DiCaprio has donated to humanitarian organizations supporting Ukraine, though an earlier widely circulated report was inaccurate. In contempo days, reports have circulated online that DiCaprio donated $ten 1000000 to an organization to benefit Ukraine, which those reports said was his grandmother's native land. Neither the donation nor DiCaprio's heritage was accurate, a person shut to the actor said on the status of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly almost the matter. DiCaprio has, however, donated to the humanitarian groups CARE, IRC, UNHCR and Salvage the Children in support of Ukraine, the person close to DiCaprio said. No dollar amounts were provided. Read more than

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MLB cancels 93 more games, gap narrows in bargaining

Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred canceled 93 more games, appearing to cut off the take chances to play a total 162-game schedule and threatening locked out players with loss of salary and service fourth dimension. As the sides narrowed many economic differences to a small margin, they became bogged down over direction'due south try to gain an international amateur draft. Talks on that narrow topic were to keep. In the meantime, on the 98th day of the lockout, Manfred announced two additional series had been canceled through April 13. That raised to 184 games wiped out from the 2,430-game regular season, or seven.half-dozen%. Read more

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Twitter unveils version of site that can bypass Russia block

Twitter unveils version of site that can bypass Russia block

Twitter has launched a privacy-protected version of its site. Its aim is to bypass surveillance and censorship after Russia blocked access to its service in the country. Russian federation has blocked access to Facebook and has restricted Twitter in an attempt to endeavour to restrict the flow of information about its war in Ukraine. Both companies have said they are working on restoring access to people within Russian federation even as they restrict the country'southward state media from their services. Software engineer and net security proficient Alec Muffett, who has worked with other companies to prepare onion sites, announced Twitter'southward new service on his own Twitter account. Users can access this version of Twitter if they download the Tor browser. Read more than

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Unvaccinated Djokovic says he is out of Indian Wells, Miami

Novak Djokovic says he will not be able to compete at the upcoming tennis tournaments in Indian Wells, California, and Miami because he is unvaccinated and tin't travel to the Usa. The twenty-time Chiliad Slam champion tweeted Wednesday that the Centers for Illness Control "confirmed the regulations won't exist irresolute and so I won't be able to play in the U.S." Djokovic has been able to play in only one tournament so far in 2022 because he has non gotten inoculated against COVID-nineteen. He was deported from Australia in January and was not allowed to endeavour to defend his title at Melbourne Park. Read more than

Indonesia's Mount Merapi erupts multiple times, 250 evacuate

Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano has spewed avalanches of hot clouds in eruptions overnight that forced about 250 residents to abscond to temporary shelters. No casualties were reported Th from the eruptions of Indonesia'due south nearly active volcano. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency says the volcano erupted at least 7 times only before and after midnight, sending out ash clouds and pyroclastic flows of rock, lava and gas that traveled up to three miles down its slopes. Merapi is on Indonesia's densely populated island of Java. People whose homes and farmland are on the volcano's fertile slopes were evacuated to temporary shelters because of the dangers on Merapi.  Read more

Human trafficking case sparks government response in Communist china

Public acrimony over a particularly egregious example of man trafficking in China has prompted a authorities response, elevating it as one of the most visible issues at the annual session of Prc's safe-postage legislature. The outcome even merited a cursory mention past People's republic of china's premier Li Keqiang in his almanac written report on government performance. A large number of proposals and government-appear initiatives surrounding the effect marked a direct attempt by the government to address the widespread anger, including a law crackdown on trafficking. Citizen activists have kept up the pressure on the case of a mother of eight plant chained to a shed in a hamlet in littoral Jiangsu province.  Read more

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In Minneapolis strike, teachers say kids aren't all right

Teachers in Minneapolis say they've noticed more kids with anxiety and depression. One school counselor says she's seen more fights and drug use this yr. Some kids tell parents they're frustrated, because learning stops when teachers accept to deal with disruptive students in class. Increased mental wellness services for students is among fundamental issues for striking Minneapolis public school teachers. School Superintendent Ed Graff has acknowledged that kids and teachers demand more mental health back up. Only Graff has said the teachers' requests would go beyond the district'due south budget. The teachers are also seeking higher wages. Wednesday was the 2d day of their strike. Read more than

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Woman sues Cowboys' Jerry Jones, says he's biological father

Woman sues Cowboys' Jerry Jones, says he's biological father

A 25-twelvemonth-old woman who grew up in North Texas is suing Dallas Cowboys possessor Jerry Jones, alleging he is her biological father. The Dallas Morn News reports Alexandra Davis says in a lawsuit in Dallas County she was conceived from a human relationship Jones had with her mother, Cynthia Davis. Court documents show Davis and her mother reached a settlement in which Jones would support them financially as long as they didn't publicly place him equally her male parent. A hearing is scheduled for March 31. Read more

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Syracuse star Boeheim suspended after punch during ACC game

Syracuse star Boeheim suspended after punch during ACC game

Syracuse star Buddy Boeheim has been suspended for the Orange'southward Atlantic Declension Briefing Tournament game confronting Duke after he punched Florida State's Wyatt Wilkes in the stomach Wednesday during a second-round 's victory. Boeheim, the squad's leading scorer, was non called for a foul later he swung his right hand into Wilkes' midsection equally he turned to run back to the defensive end. Wilkes doubled over and squatted for a moment later on being struck most midway through the outset one-half. Boeheim, the son of Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, released a statement after the game, saying he apologized "multiple times" to Wilkes later on the game. Syracuse volition face top-seeded Duke on Thursday in the quarterfinals.  Read more

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In Brazil, artists and activists protestation against mining bill

Thousands of Brazilians take gathered exterior Congress in Brasilia to protest a set of bills that they say threaten the Amazon rainforest and the Indigenous people living in it. Wednesday's event was organized past Brazilian musician Caetano Veloso and brought together more than 200 environmental groups and artists. Lawmakers began debating a neb seeking to allow mining projects on protected territories, but the leadership later announced that the proposals volition start be studied past a task force and no vote will be held before mid-April. The bill was initially presented by Brazil'south far-right President Jair Bolsonaro in 2020, only lingered in Congress until the war in Ukraine triggered a possible shortage in fertilizers provided by Russian federation.  Read more

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Calls to suspend gas taxes across U.S. grow as prices surge

A growing number of governors and state lawmakers across the U.Southward. are calling for the pause of gas taxes to provide relief to motorists from record high prices. Gas prices were averaging $4.25 a gallon nationally Wednesday. Legislative leaders in Michigan and Pennsylvania announced proposals to suspended or reduce land gas taxes. Governors in Georgia and California also called for relief from land gas taxes. And governors from vi states have urged Congress to suspend the federal authorities's 18-cent-a-gallon gas tax through the residue of this twelvemonth. Some transportation advocates say at that place isno guarantee a gas tax cut would go fully passed on to consumers.  Read more

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Firm Pentagon 'no' to Polish plan to ship jets to Ukraine

The Pentagon is rejecting a Shine program to provide Ukraine with MiG fighter jets by transferring them through a U.Southward. base in Deutschland. The Pentagon said Ukraine has greater needs and that a U.S. intelligence assessment says such an shipping transfer would pose "high gamble" of escalating the war. Pentagon printing secretary John Kirby told reporters that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Polish counterpart on Wednesday and informed him of the U.S. decision. He said the U.S. is pursuing other options that would provide more than critical military needs to Ukraine such as air defence force and anti-armor weapons. Read more

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Texas flagged 27,000 postal service ballots for rejection in main

More than 27,000 mail ballots in Texas were flagged for rejection in the first test of new voting restrictions enacted beyond the U.S. It puts the rate of rejected mail ballots in Texas on runway to significantly surpass previous elections. That'due south according to county-past-county reports obtained past The Associated Printing post-obit last calendar week'south first-in-the-nation primary in Texas. The figures are preliminary but provide the fullest film to engagement of how new election rules rushed into identify by Republicans following the 2020 ballot made it harder to vote for thousands of voters in both parties. Some will current of air up not having their ballots count at all.  Read more than

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Mississippi advances bill against COVID vaccine mandates

A neb advancing in Mississippi says anyone could cite religious objections to avert a public or individual employer's COVID-nineteen vaccination mandate. House Bill 1509 passed the Senate 36-xv Wednesday, with Republicans in favor and well-nigh Democrats opposed. One Democrat did not vote. A version of the bill passed the Firm in January, too mostly forth political party lines. Because the Senate made changes, the neb will go to final negotiations. The beak says Mississippi regime entities could non withhold services or refuse jobs to people who choose not to get COVID-19 vaccinations. Mandates for the vaccine have not been widespread in Mississippi. Read more

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1st NY pot sales permits volition go to people with convictions

The beginning licenses to sell recreational marijuana in New York will go to people who were casualties of the war on drugs. State officials said Wed that people with marijuana-related convictions will get dibs on the first 100 to 200 retail cannabis licenses awarded by the New York. It's role of a broader effort to redress the inequities of a justice system that locked upwardly a disproportionate number of people of colour for drug crimes. Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, is set up to announce the planned regulations for "social equity" applicants Th. Read more

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Estimate favors boosting Sackler payment in Purdue Pharma bargain

A judge has indicated he is moving forward with a plan for the owners of OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma to pump at least another $1.2 billion into a nationwide settlement of lawsuits against over the cost of opioids. Legal wrangling withal lies alee for the overall bankruptcy reorganization programme. The increased payment that U.S. Defalcation Judge Robert Drain saidWednesday he would corroborate was hashed out past a mediator with the Sackler family and attorneys general for several states and the Commune of Columbia. Next upward is a virtual courtroom hearing Thursday at which victims of the opioid crisis will have a rare opportunity to address members of the Sackler family.  Read more

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A await within the 1st official 'rubber injection sites' in US

2 modest rooms in New York City are the first places in the U.s.a. where local officials are allowing illicit drug utilize to make it less deadly. The privately run "overdose prevention centers" are equipped and staffed to reverse opioid overdoses. They are also known every bit safe injection sites and are a assuming and contested response to a tide of overdose deaths nationwide. Supporters see them equally humane responses to a national surge in overdose deaths. Critics encounter them as illegal and defeatist. People who use drugs there say the site are places where someone is looking out to make certain that people don't die. Read more than

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Starbucks workers at 3 more NY stores vote to unionize

Employees at three more than Starbucks stores in suburban Buffalo have voted to form unions. A count of ballots Wednesday showed workers at the stores narrowly approving organizing efforts. The results bring to six the number of unionized Starbucks shops and farther accelerate organizing efforts that began in Buffalo and have spread to at to the lowest degree ii dozen states.  Employees who favor unionizing say they desire more than input, through collective bargaining, on pay, working conditions and shop operations. Seattle-based Starbucks has actively fought unionization, proverb its more than eight,000 company-owned U.S. stores function best when the company works direct with employees. Read more

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Native Americans fret as report card released on 2020 census

The U.S. Census Bureau will release reports Thursday that testify how adept of a job the agency believes it did in counting every U.S. resident during the 2020 census. Native American tribes and advocates launched well-financed campaigns to ensure a more accurate count. Despite that, they believe those living on about 300 reservations beyond the country will be undercounted again, partly due to the coronavirus pandemic. Well-nigh five% of that population was missed during the 2010 census, the highest of any race group. The Census Bureau volition release two reports assessing the national count based on race, Hispanic origin, sexual practice and age.    Read more