United States

• Thursday, March 25th 2021 - 05:00 UTC

  Death penalty abolished in the once prolific executing US state of Virginia

  

  Virginia Governor Ralph Northam Wednesday signed into law a bill whereby the death penalty has been abolished after over 400 years in the force, thus making his state the 23rd to take such a step.

• Saturday, March 20th 2021 - 08:44 UTC

  G7 finance ministers agree on “a new and sizeable” increase in IMF capital; US demands transparency

  

  REUTERS – The world's seven largest advanced economies have agreed to support the first expansion of the International Monetary Fund's reserves since 2009, a step meant to help developing countries cope with the coronavirus pandemic, Britain announced on Friday.

• Thursday, March 18th 2021 - 09:20 UTC

  Argentine economy minister to meet IMF in Washington; no deal expected in May

  

  Argentina's Economy Minister Martin Guzmán traveled to New York on Wednesday night to meet investors before heading to Washington for talks with the International Monetary Fund, a government source said.

• Thursday, March 18th 2021 - 08:51 UTC

  Fed sees no interest rate hikes likely through 2023; US GDP expected to increase 6,5% in 2021

  

  The Federal Reserve on Wednesday sharply ramped up its expectations for economic growth but indicated that there are no interest rate hikes likely through 2023 despite an improving outlook and a turn this year to higher inflation.

• Tuesday, March 16th 2021 - 08:40 UTC

  First US native from the Laguna Pueblo tribe to lead the Secretary of Interior

  

  United States Representative Deb Haaland was confirmed on Monday as Secretary of the Interior, becoming the first Native American to lead a cabinet agency and securing a central role in President Joe Biden's sweeping plans to fight climate change.

• Saturday, March 13th 2021 - 08:28 UTC

  Minneapolis City agrees to pay US$ 27 million to George Floyd family

  

  The city of Minneapolis on Friday agreed to pay US$27 million to settle a lawsuit by the family of George Floyd over his death in police custody, a case that stirred national protests over racial injustice and police brutality. Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died in May as Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis police officer, knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes

• Friday, March 12th 2021 - 09:06 UTC

  All US surviving presidents (except Trump) release video of their inoculation; CDC says 92 million vaccinated

  

  All surviving former US presidents except Mr Donald Trump have teamed up in a video urging Americans to get vaccinated against Covid-19. Mr Jimmy Carter, Mr George W. Bush, Mr Bill Clinton and Mr Barack Obama - and the former First Ladies, appear in the one-minute spot released on Thursday, endorsing the US vaccination campaign and sharing what they miss about pre-pandemic life.

• Thursday, March 11th 2021 - 09:23 UTC

  Biden family dogs sent back to Wilmington following a “biting incident”

  

  US President Joe Biden has sent his two dogs back to his family home in Wilmington, Delaware, after the younger of the two German Shepherds was involved in a “biting incident” with a White House security agent, US media reported.

• Thursday, March 11th 2021 - 09:07 UTC

  Great victory for Biden: on Friday he signs the US$ 1,9 trillion American Rescue Plan

  

  Great victory for president Joe Biden: US Congress on Wednesday passed the enormous Covid-19 economic relief package --the greatest support program since the end of World War II--, which will inject billions to families and businesses.

• Wednesday, March 10th 2021 - 09:30 UTC

  Honduran president accused of assisting to smuggle tons of cocaine into the US

  

  Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez was accused on Tuesday of assisting a drug trafficker smuggle tons of cocaine into the US. Assistant US Attorney Jacob Gutwillig made the claim during his opening statement at the trial of accused drug trafficker Geovanny Fuentes Ramirez.