USA

PRESS RELEASE

Demands include end to Kashmir’s lockdown, repeal of draconian laws,halt to mob lynchings

Renowned U.S. historian AudreyTruschke to join protest

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is dusting off its playbook from the special counsel’s Russia investigation.

Caught off guard by the speed at which a whistleblower’s claims have morphed into an impeachment inquiry, President Donald Trump and his team are scrambling to respond.

They’re turning, at least for now, to some of the same strategies they used to counter special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A third man has been arrested and charged with drug offenses in connection with rapper Mac Miller’s overdose death last year.

Court documents show Stephen Walter is suspected of selling counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl that Miller possessed before he died last September of an accidental overdose of cocaine, alcohol and fentanyl, a powerful opioid contributing to an epidemic that’s claimed thousands of lives in the U.S.

NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly a year ago, a team of 15 Saudi government agents was sent to Istanbul, where it killed Saudi columnist and critic Jamal Khashoggi inside the kingdom’s consulate. Khashoggi’s body was never found.

The Oct. 2 killing and attempts to cover it up drew international condemnation, and the reputation of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has never fully recovered. Saudi Arabia insists the powerful heir had no involvement in an operation that included agents who reported directly to him.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Military suicides surged this year to a record high among active duty troops, continuing a deadly trend that Pentagon officials say is frustrating and they are struggling to counter.

The Army, Navy and Marine Corps all saw the rate of suicides go up as well as the overall numbers, with only the Air Force showing a decrease, according to data released by the Pentagon Thursday. Suicides among members of the Reserves and the National Guard also grew.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — They came from the same country. They were in town for the same reason — as diplomatic representatives of their government. And they took pains to make sure their paths never, ever crossed.

Two separate Venezuelan delegations can be found at the United Nations during the General Assembly gathering of world leaders this year, shadowing and circling each other in a fierce fight for international recognition as the country reels from an economic collapse and political uncertainty.

NEW YORK (AP) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani urged the United States on Thursday to “cease this policy of maximum pressure” on his nation, saying it was driving the possibility of negotiations even further away.

Rouhani stuck to his insistence that U.S. sanctions must be lifted before he would talk with U.S. President Donald Trump, although he did not explicitly rule out such a meeting if they remain in place. He spoke about discussions with the leaders of France, Japan and Pakistan about trying to promote talks, and he made clear that such contacts are continuing.

WASHINGTON (AP) — When it comes to Ukraine, Rudy Giuliani became President Donald Trump’s courier, attack dog, fixer and a self-described meddler in another country’s affairs. His purpose was single-minded: get information “very, very helpful to my client.”

To hear the intelligence-community whistleblower tell it in the complaint unwrapped Thursday, Giuliani was a one-man wrecking ball, breaking things in a complex international landscape and leaving actual diplomatic envoys to clean up his “damage.”

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Saudi Arabia called on the world to apply “utmost pressure with every tool available” to end Iran’s aggressive conduct, saying Thursday that the most effective way to control Tehran is to cut off its financial resources.

Saudi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Assaf again blamed Iran for the Sept. 14 missile and drone attack on Saudi oil facilities, which jolted global oil prices and temporarily knocked out nearly 6% of daily global crude production.

NEW YORK (AP) — Users of Amazon’s Alexa digital assistant can now request that recordings of their voice commands delete automatically.

Amazon says it saves such commands to improve the service. But the practice has raised concerns with privacy experts who say the recordings could get into the wrong hands, especially as Amazon and other companies use human reviewers rather than just machines.