By Susanna Twidale, Valerie Volcovici, Simon Jessop and Peter Henderson (Reuters) -The world is failing to cut carbon emissions fast enough to avoid disastrous climate change, a dawning truth that is giving life to a technology that for years has been marginal – pulling carbon dioxide from the air. Leading the charge, the U.S. government…
By Michael Erman and Leroy Leo (Reuters) -The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized a second dose of Omicron-targeting COVID-19 vaccines for older adults as well as those with a weak immune system. The agency also said the updated shots from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna would become the new primary COVID vaccine, and withdrew…
By John Kruzel WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday considered a bid by three whistleblowers to revive lawsuits accusing pharmacy operators of pocketing millions of taxpayer dollars by knowingly overbilling government health insurance programs for prescription drugs. The justices heard arguments in an appeal by the whistleblowers of lower court rulings in favor…
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra violated the Hatch Act by expressing support for Democratic Senator Alex Padilla’s re-election at a public event last year, a U.S. government watchdog said on Tuesday. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel report cited Becerra’s comments that he intended to vote for Padilla while speaking…
By Andrew Chung WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday appeared ready to bolster the ability of employees to obtain accommodations at work for their religious practices in a case involving an evangelical Christian former mail carrier’s claim of discrimination against the U.S. Postal Service. The nine justices heard oral arguments in an appeal…
By Michael Martina WASHINGTON (Reuters) – China is increasing its Antarctic footprint according to new satellite imagery collected by a Washington-based think tank that shows construction has resumed for the first time since 2018 on the country’s fifth station in the southern polar region. Beijing has sought to develop new shipping routes in the Arctic…
By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) – A federal judge on Tuesday ordered JPMorgan Chase & Co CEO Jamie Dimon to set aside two days for depositions about what he knew about the bank’s relationship with sex offender and former client Jeffrey Epstein. The largest U.S. bank faces lawsuits seeking damages by women who claim…
By Hannah Confino and Rami Amichay Tel Aviv (Reuters) – Esther Paran navigated her way in a wheelchair through the throngs of Israelis marching through Tel Aviv in protest at government plans to overhaul the country’s judicial system. She was pushed by an aide. She did not bang on drums or yell along with the…
DAMASCUS (Reuters) -Syrian President Bashar al-Assad received Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan in Damascus on Tuesday in the most significant step yet towards ending Syria’s decade-long regional isolation, and at a time of wider rapprochement in the region. It was the first visit of a top diplomat from Arab powerhouse Saudi Arabia to…
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senate Republicans will block Democrats’ plans to temporarily replace Senator Dianne Feinstein on the committee that approves federal judges, the chamber’s top Republican, Mitch McConnell, said on Tuesday. That would make it harder for Democrats to confirm President Joe Biden’s appointments to the federal judiciary until Feinstein, 89, returns to the…
