Senior Biden administration officials have quietly traveled to Caracas in the latest bid to rebuild relations with the South American oil giant as the war in Ukraine drags on, driving higher gas prices and forcing the U.S. to recalibrate other foreign policy objectives. The delegation that arrived Monday in Caracas includes Ambassador James Story, who heads the U.S. government’s Venezuelan Affairs Unit out of neighboring Colombia, said a State Department spokesperson on the condition of anonymity so as not to interfere with diplomatic discussions. It also includes Roger Carstens, the special

An air ambulance service official says at least eight helicopters are taking patients from the site of a passenger train that derailed in Missouri while traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago. Matt Daugherty, Lifeflight Eagle director of business development, said helicopters were responding from around the state, The Kansas City Star reported. Daugherty said he knew there were a number of injuries and some people were in critical condition. The train derailed Monday after hitting a dump truck that was blocking a public crossing, Amtrak said. The Southwest Chief was carrying about 243 passenge

Ukrainian officials say scores of civilians are feared killed or injured after a Russian missile strike hit a crowded shopping mall in the central city of Kremenchuk. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post Monday that the number of victims was ``unimaginable,'' citing reports that more than 1,000 civilians were inside at the time of the attack. Zelenskyy stressed that the target presented ``no threat to the Russian army'' and had ``no strategic value.'' At least 13 people were dead and more than 40 wounded, according to the regional governor, Dmytro Lunin, who said th

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau and agreed to expand trade and economic linkages as the two leaders took stock of India-Canada relations. "Useful exchange between PM @narendramodi and Canadian PM @JustinTrudeau at Schloss Elmau. Leaders discussed bilateral ties and agreed to expand trade and economic linkages, cooperation in security and counter-terrorism, as well as P2P ties," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said both leaders took stock of the India-Canada friendship and discussed ways to further str

Several parts of China will experience heavy rainfall and floods for the next few days, China's National Meteorological Center said on Monday after it renewed a yellow alert for rainstorms. The torrential rainfalls in China which started on Sunday have induced floods in several parts of the country including Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality and Qingdao in East China's Shandong Province, Global Times reported. China's National Meteorological Center has forecasted more heavy rain in the next few days. It said that across 13 areas including Southwest China's Chongqing, Sichuan and Guizhou

Ukrainian officials say scores of civilians are feared killed or injured after a Russian rocket strike hit a crowded shopping mall in the central city of Kremenchuk. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post Monday that the number of victims was “unimaginable,” citing reports that more than 1,000 civilians were inside at the time of the attack. Minutes later, Kyryl Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the presidential office, said in a Telegram post that at least two were dead and about 20 people were hurt, of whom nine were in serious condition. Zelenskyy stressed that the

President Joe Biden spoke from the White House about the Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that legalized abortion nationwide. He said the court has done what it's never done before in taking away a constitutional right that is so fundamental to so many Americans. He says the decision places the health and life of women at risk. Biden is vowing to do everything in his power to protect a woman's right to an abortion in states where they are now prohibited. The US Supreme Court voted 6-3 to strike down Row v. Wade. Biden called the decision ``wrong, extreme and

The Supreme Court has ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years in a decision by its conservative majority to overturn Roe v. Wade. Friday's outcome is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states. The ruling came more than a month after the stunning leak of a draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito indicating the court was prepared to take this momentous step. The Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that established the constitutional right to abortion in the U.S. in 1973. The decision,

Andrea Fuentes prevented a tragedy at the swimming world championships with her quick reaction. The United States coach knew something was wrong when she saw artistic swimmer Anita Alvarez sink motionless to the bottom of the pool during a solo free routine on Wednesday. The fully clothed Fuentes dived in. She swam to the unresponsive Alvarez, put her arms around her, and lifted her to the water's surface. Another person helped get her out of the pool. Alvarez is a two-time Olympian. She had fainted. USA Artistic Swimming says she is feeling much better.