• Associated Press

    The USDA is testing ground beef for bird flu. Experts are confident the meat supply is safe

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture will test ground beef for bird flu particles, though officials said Tuesday they're confident the nation's meat supply is safe. Bird flu has been found in nearly three-dozen dairy herds across nine states. The new testing is the latest effort by the USDA to track and understand how the virus is spreading among livestock. Two studies will test if particles of the bird flu virus, called Type A H5N1, is found in beef for sale in the states where dairy cows have tested positive or in the muscles of dairy cows sent to slaughter.

  • Reuters

    Australian bank Westpac extends moratorium on regional branch closures till 2027

    "Westpac is extending its moratorium on regional branch closures until at least 2027 while it strengthens regional banking services," Australia's third-largest lender in terms of market valuation said in a media statement. "This commitment will support more than 2.2 million customers and 1,000 employees who live and work in 182 regional areas." Established more than 200 years ago, Westpac said it is also investing over A$200 million ($129.64 million) over the next decade in partnership with the government-run Australia Post to allow cash and cheque transactions at select post offices.

  • Associated Press

    Life sentence for gang member who turned northern Virginia into 'hunting ground'

    Even in the violent world of the MS-13 street gang, the killings in northern Virginia in the summer of 2019 stood out. In that year, “the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area became an MS-13 hunting ground,” in the words of prosecutors. Law enforcement had become accustomed to MS-13 killings involving rival gang members, or ones in which MS-13 members themselves became victims when suspicions arose that they were cooperating with police.