News in brief

By The Associated Press

Biden sets tighter standards for deadly soot pollution

WASHINGTON | The Biden administration is setting tougher standards for deadly soot pollution. The government says reducing such pollution from tailpipes, smokestacks and other industrial sources could prevent thousands of premature deaths a year.

Environmental and public health groups say the rule finalized Wednesday is a major step in improving Americans’ health. Industry groups warn it could lead to the loss of manufacturing jobs and even shut down power plants or refineries.

Environmental Protection Agency head Michael Regan says the rule will especially benefit children, older adults and those with heart and lung conditions, as well as people in low-income and minority communities adversely affected by decades of industrial pollution.

El Salvador opposition

warns it may

ask to nullify election results

SAN SALVADOR | As El Salvador’s electoral body begins a vote-by-vote count of last week’s election results, the political opposition warned Wednesday they could ask to nullify results of the legislative elections due to irregularities.

No one questions the victory of highly popular President Nayib Bukele, who won re-election with 83% of the votes, leading by a massive margin with 70% of the votes counted. Attention has been focused, instead, on the fight for the 60 seats in dispute in Congress.

Control of Congress is crucial for Bukele. He hopes to continue to waive fundamental constitutional rights in his war against El Salvador’s gangs, which has handed him his soaring popularity, and carry out other parts of his agenda.

Bukele already declared his Nuevas Ideas party had won 58 of the 60 congressional seats following the election Sunday night, despite just a tiny fraction of the count being made public.

— From AP reports