New Covid strain is the most transmissible yet, WHO says

The coronavirus Omicron strain XBB.1.5, which has become the dominant strain in the U.S. in just a matter of weeks, could drive a new wave of cases, a World Health Organization official told reporters Wednesday. “We are concerned about its growth advantage, in particular in some countries in Europe and the Northeast part of the United States, where XBB.1.5 has rapidly replaced...

Read More

Musk's Twitter to lift ban on political ads 'in coming weeks'

Twitter plans to lift its restrictions on political ads, saying it would immediately allow issue-based paid content on the platform while political advertisements will return "in the coming weeks." The announcement comes as advertisers have fled the platform in droves after Elon Musk's takeover last October, which was followed by a spike in hate speech and the reinstatement...

Read More

Ukraine-EU summit to be held in Kyiv on Feb. 3

The Ukrainian capital will host the next round of EU-Ukraine talks next month. from Politics, Policy, Political News Top Stories https://ift.tt/hkM9QXa via IFT...

Read More

European Union countries near deal on response to China's Covid surge

They will continue talks on Wednesday. from Politics, Policy, Political News Top Stories https://ift.tt/onEi8BP via IFT...

Read More

Bankman-Fried pleads not guilty to criminal charges in New York

NEW YORK — FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried pleaded not guilty in federal court in Manhattan on Tuesday to criminal charges alleging wire fraud, money laundering and campaign finance violations. The 30-year-old Bankman-Fried is accused of stealing billions of dollars in customer and investor assets through the FTX exchange and his affiliated hedge fund, Alameda Research. Judge...

Read More

McConnell 'pulling' for McCarthy before speaker vote

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday "of course" he wants House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy to become speaker, even as he acknowledged uncertainty for the California Republican in the upcoming vote. “I have no idea. I don’t know any more than I read from what you guys write. I’m just pulling for him,” McConnell said in an interview Tuesday. The Senate...

Read More

Colorado governor plans to send migrants to New York, mayor says

NEW YORK — Colorado Gov. Jared Polis plans to send migrants to major cities including New York, Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday, warning that the nation's largest city is already struggling to deal an influx of people sent from Texas and other Republican-led states. The impending move by Polis is unusual because Colorado is not a border state and both leaders are Democrats...

Read More