WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Attorney's Office of Eastern District of Pennsylvania said Tuesday it had seized about 16.5 tons of cocaine, with a street value of over one billion U.S. dollars, the largest drug seizure in the district.

The cocaine were found in seven shipping containers on a large ship at the Packer Marine Terminal in Philadelphia, the attorney's office said on social media, adding that members of the ship's crew have been arrested and federally charged. (US-Drug Bust)

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WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted on Tuesday that Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan has decided not to go forward with his confirmation process.

"Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, who has done a wonderful job, has decided not to go forward with his confirmation process so that he can devote more time to his family," Trump said, thanking Shanahan for his service. (US-Petagon Chief)

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UNITED NATIONS -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday announced the launch of the United Nations Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech.

The strategy and plan of action is a program to coordinate efforts across the UN system to identify, prevent and confront hate speech, using all the means in its power, according to the UN chief. (UN-Hate Speech Action)

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MOSCOW -- Senior Russian, U.S. and Israeli security officials will meet soon in Jerusalem to discuss the situation in Syria and the Middle East as a whole, Deputy Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry Artyom Kozhin said Tuesday.

He said in a statement that Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev, U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton and Israel's National Security Advisor Meir Ben-Shabbat will take part in the meeting. (Russia-Syria-Middle East) Enditem

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