Author: Neal Orlando Glover

The United States sees viable routes to export Ukrainian grain through the country’s territorial waters and overland after Russia withdrew from the grain deal, a senior U.S. official said, adding that they aim to return to exporting at prewar averages from Ukraine over the next months. “I think we see there are viable routes through Ukraine’s territorial waters and overland, and we are aiming … over the next couple of months to return to exporting at kind of prewar averages from Ukraine,” James O’Brien, head of the State Department’s Office of Sanctions Coordination, told Reuters in an interview. Ukraine is…

The US, Japan and South Korea on Friday jointly announced new measures on economic security, technology and other key issues, as the US side has intensified containment of China’s tech sector following the newly announced US investment restrictions. Chinese experts said that the reckless moves by the US and its allies are “doomed” and set to backfire, as China is pushing forward domestic replacements and tech self-reliance. According to a joint statement on the White House’s website, the US, Japan and South Korea will strengthen cooperation in sectors including semiconductors and batteries, as well as on technology security and standards,…

The United States and European Union Friday slammed comments by far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir that his right to life outweighs Palestinians’ right to freedom of movement in the occupied West Bank. “We strongly condemn Minister Ben Gvir’s racist, destructive comments on the freedom of movement of Palestinian residents of the West Bank,” a US State Department spokesperson said. “Such messages are particularly damaging when amplified by those in leadership positions… President [Joe] Biden and Secretary [of State Antony] Blinken have been clear that both Israelis and Palestinians deserve to enjoy equal measures of freedom and security.” The European Union also…

Papua New Guinea (PNG) has invited the USCGC Myrtle Hazard (WPC 1139) to join their lead in maritime operations to combat illegal fishing and safeguard maritime resources during August 2023. This collaborative effort marks the first time a joint patrol effort will be executed at sea since the signing and ratification of the recent bilateral defense agreement between PNG and the United States, which allows the U.S. to embark shipriders from PNG agencies aboard the ship to conduct at sea boardings on other vessels operating in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) under their national agency authority. This is the U.S.…

On August 25,  the sixth anniversary of genocide against Rohingya, the United States stands with the victims and survivors and reaffirms our commitment to pursue justice and accountability for the atrocities committed by the Burma military.  We are deeply grateful to the Government and the people of Bangladesh for giving shelter and refuge to nearly one million Rohingya, as well as other countries in the region hosting Rohingya refugees. The United States has provided over $2.1 billion to assist those affected by the crisis in Burma, Bangladesh, and elsewhere in the region since 2017, remaining the leading single largest donor…

New York City is facing a worsening housing crisis. Decades of restrictive public policy including a regressive property tax system that discourages rental housing development, profligate landmarking, and onerous public approvals coupled with rising land and construction costs has resulted in lackluster housing production. Simultaneously, New York has remained a beacon for talented and ambitious people. Population and jobs have grown at an enviable rate. The result is that demand far outstrips supply, driving up rents and creating housing scarcity. The city must build half a million new rental apartments by 2030 — and we are not even close to that pace today.…

A new report shows that Maryland is in the top 10 states when it comes to policies that support mental health among new mothers and pregnant people. But the state only received a C-, according to a nationwide report card from the policy think tank called Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health. According to the report card, 40 states either received a D or an F, and the highest graded state was California with a B-. While Maryland may be one of the leading states in programs that assist with maternal mental health, the overall consensus from the organization is that the…

Seven leading companies in artificial intelligence have committed to managing risks posed by the tech, the White House has said. This will include testing the security of AI, and making the results of those tests public. Representatives from Amazon, Anthropic, Google, Inflection, Meta, Microsoft, and OpenAI joined US President Joe Biden to make the announcement. It follows a number of warnings about the capabilities of the technology. The pace at which the companies have been developing their tools have prompted fears over the spread of disinformation, especially in the run up to the 2024 US presidential election. On Wednesday, Meta,…

The Powerball jackpot rose yet again to an estimated US$1 billion (NZ$1.57 billion) after no winning ticket was sold for the latest drawing. No ticket for today’s drawing matched the white balls 5, 8, 9, 17, 41 and red Powerball 2. The jackpot was estimated at US$900 million (NZ$1.4 billion). The new jackpot for Thursday’s drawing would be the third highest in US history and will keep growing until someone wins. Ticket buyers have a chance at US$1 billion (NZ$1.57 billion) paid out in yearly increments or a US$516.8 million (NZ$815.5 million) one-time lump sum before taxes. Three people won…

The television of 2023 has thus far been defined primarily by returning series, and particularly saying goodbye to several signature shows, including the finales of “Succession,” “Barry,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and “Ted Lasso” (at least, as we currently know it). The first half of the year has produced some memorable TV in a wide variety of genres, ranging from dramas and comedies to limited series, docuseries to the hard-to-categorize comedy-reality hybrid “Jury Duty,” a project that has helped put the otherwise little-discussed Amazon channel Freevee on the map. Taking inventory through June, here are the other standouts, presented in…