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UN panel adopts resolution on minority rights as Pakistan exposes India’s poor record

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 16 (APP): A committee of the UN General Assembly Friday unanimously passed a resolution calling for the promotion and protection of human rights of persons belonging to minorities, with Pakistan drawing the international community’s attention to the plight of Muslims in Indian state of Assam and occupied Kashmir.

US-China trade war jitters persist in financial sector: Fed

16 November 2019; AFP: Market players, bankers and investors still see the US-China trade war as the top near-term threat to US financial stability, the Federal Reserve said in a report Friday.

And, given the sky-high debt levels of many American companies, Federal Reserve Board Governor Lael Brainard also called for "heightened vigilance" against emerging risks.

Trump to attend NATO leaders meeting in London

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- The White House said Friday U.S. President Donald Trump is to visit London for a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Leaders Meeting in December, at a time when the bloc's future and unity come under question.

Trump will use the visit, scheduled between Dec. 2 and 4, to review the alliance's burden sharing process, as well as calling on his counterparts to bolster their readiness, especially in the fields of cyberspace, infrastructure, telecommunications and anti-terrorism, according to the statement.

UN chief sends condolences for Gaza family killed in Israeli missile attack

UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday sent "heartfelt condolences" to a Gaza family of which eight members were killed in an Israeli missile strike.

"The secretary-general expresses his heartfelt condolences to the Al-Sawarkeh family and wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured, and he calls on Israel to move swiftly with the investigation," said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for Guterres.

Texas appeals court blocks inmate Rodney Reed’s execution

HOUSTON (AP) — Texas’ top criminal appeals court on Friday halted the scheduled execution of inmate Rodney Reed, whose conviction is being questioned by new evidence that his supporters say raises serious doubt about his guilt.

The stay of execution by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals came just hours after the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles had recommended delaying the lethal injection.

Jail guards at time of Epstein death reject deal

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal prosecutors offered a plea deal to two correctional officers responsible for guarding Jeffrey Epstein on the night of his death, but the officers have declined the offer, people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.

The existence of the plea offer signals the Justice Department is considering criminal charges in connection with the wealthy financier’s death at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York in August. The city’s medical examiner ruled Epstein’s death a suicide.

Conflicting White House accounts of 1st Trump-Zelenskiy call

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump released the rough transcript Friday of a congratulatory phone call he had with the incoming president of Ukraine, holding it out as evidence he did nothing wrong. Instead, the memorandum shows how White House descriptions of Trump’s communications with foreign leaders at times better reflect wishful thinking than the reality of the interactions.

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