USA

Pelosi’s feud with Ocasio-Cortez tests party heading to 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — They don’t talk to each other much, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. But they’re lately speaking at one another in a way that threatens party unity and underscores broader tensions reshaping the Democrats.

Their power struggle has spilled open in what could be a momentary blip or a foreshadowing of divisions to come.

Trump defends Acosta but will look into Epstein plea deal

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday he would be looking “very closely” at Labor Secretary Alex Acosta’s handling of a sex trafficking case involving now-jailed billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein. But he also seemed to stand by his Cabinet official, praising Acosta’s performance on the job and saying he felt “very badly” for him.

Trump accuses India of imposing tariffs on American products; says 'no longer acceptable'

Washington, Jul 9 (PTI) President Donald Trump on Tuesday said India has long had a "field day" imposing tariffs on American products, which is "no longer acceptable" to the US.

Trump's terse comment came days after his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka on June 28 where the two leaders aired their concerns over the bilateral trade disputes and agreed for a meeting of their commerce ministers to sort out the issues.

Nicki Minaj pulls out of Saudi Arabia concert

Nicki Minaj has decided to pull out of Jeddah World Fest, a concert in Saudi Arabia, to show support for freedom of expression. Minaj was originally scheduled to headline the concert on July 18 in Jeddah.

“After careful reflection I have decided to no longer move forward with my scheduled concert at Jeddah World Fest.”, said Minaj.

Other performers in Jeddah World Fest include former One Direction member Liam Payne and DJ-producer Steve Aoki.

Homicide kills far more people than armed conflict: UN study

UNITED NATIONS, Jul 09 (APP): Some 464,000 people across the world were victims of homicidal violence in 2017, more than five times the number killed in armed conflict over the same period, according to a UN study.

The study by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said that Central America is the most dangerous region to live, where the number of homicides – or unlawful killings – rises in some “hotspots”, to 62.1 per 100,000 people.

Over 460,000 suspected cholera cases in Yemen this year, 705 dead: UN

UNITED NATIONS, Jul 09 (APP): Over 460,000 suspected cholera cases have been recorded in war-torn Yemen so far this year — a sharp rise from the 380,000 cases for all of 2018, according to a UN spokesman .

Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq says 705 suspected cholera deaths have been recorded since January — a dramatic increase from the 75 deaths in the same period last year.

Moreover, approximately 200,000 children are suspected of contracting the disease in 2019, Farhan Haq said.

Indian visitor in US extradited to Germany for raping minor

New York, Jul 9 (PTI) An Indian national in the US has been extradited to Germany after it emerged that he was wanted in the European nation for allegedly raping a minor.

Identified with his single name Talwar, he lawfully entered into the US as a visitor, with authorisation to remain until October 6, 2019, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in a statement.

However, his visa was cancelled by the State Department.

Sentencing phase for Brendt Christensen starts

PEORIA, the United States, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Sentencing phase for Brendt Christensen who has been ruled by a U.S. jury guilty of kidnapping and killing Chinese visiting scholar Zhang Yingying in 2017, started Monday afternoon at a federal courthouse in Peoria, U.S. state of Illinois.

During this penalty phase, both prosecutors and the defense lawyers would first make opening statements separately, followed by witnesses' testimony and cross-examination from both sides.

Heavy rain, flash floods create havoc in U.S. capital region

WASHINGTON, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Torrential rains and flash floods on Monday hammered the Washington D.C. region, stranding thousands of drivers and commuters, causing extensive power outages, and soaking train and metro stations as well as numerous basements.

People fled to the roofs of their cars, Virginia Square metro station got a waterfall situation, the U.S. National Archives was shut down, and the White House basement was soaked.

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