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Georgetown students endorse slavery reparations fund in vote

WASHINGTON (AP) — Georgetown University undergraduates have voted in favor of a referendum seeking the establishment of a fund benefiting the descendants of enslaved people sold to pay off the school’s debts.

The $27.20-per-semester fee would create one of the first reparations funds at a major U.S. institution. In an early Friday statement, university administrator Todd Olson didn’t commit to the fund’s establishment, but said Thursday’s non-binding vote provided “valuable insight into student perspectives.”

US urges UN to recognize Venezuela's Guaido

11 Apr 2019; DW: The UN should admit a representative of Juan Guaido's Venezuela government in place of the envoy appointed by Nicolas Maduro, US Vice President Mike Pence told international representatives on Wednesday.

"The time has come for the United Nations to recognize interim president Juan Guaido as the legitimate president of Venezuela and seat his representative in this body," Pence added.

U.S. largest security industry trade show opens in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS, April 10 (Xinhua) -- The 52nd International Security Conference and Exposition (ISC West), the largest security industry trade show in the United States, was launched in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

The three-day show attracts over 1,000 global exhibitors and brands in the security industry and over 30,000 security professionals.

They are expected to discuss best practices, new technologies, and innovations on security and safety.

Indonesian envoy says aid to Venezuela must be free from political objectives

UNITED NATIONS, April 10 (Xinhua) -- A senior Indonesian official urged Tuesday that humanitarian assistance to Venezuela "must be free from political objectives."

Speaking at the UN Security Council meeting on the humanitarian situation in Venezuela, Dian Triansyab Djani, Indonesia's permanent representative to the United Nations, said aid should be delivered in close coordination with the Venezuelan government and in full respect of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

U.S. Senate confirms ambassador to Saudi Arabia after two yrs

WASHINGTON, April 10 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Senate on Wednesday approved John Abizaid to become the new U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, filling the position that has been void for more than two years.

The Senate voted 92-7 to approve the retired Army general for the position, which has been in the center of contention between the Republican and Democratic parties amid a rocky relationship between the U.S. Congress and Saudi Arabia.

SpaceX delays mega rocket launch due to high wind

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX has delayed the launch of its newest mega rocket because of dangerously high wind.

The Falcon Heavy was poised to blast off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday night with a communication satellite. But SpaceX chief Elon Musk said upper-level wind shear was extremely high.

Astronomers reveal first image of a black hole

WASHINGTON (AP) — Humanity got its first glimpse Wednesday of the cosmic place of no return: a black hole. And it’s as hot, as violent and as beautiful as science fiction imagined.

In a breakthrough that thrilled the world of astrophysics and stirred talk of a Nobel Prize, scientists released the first image ever made of a black hole, revealing a fiery doughnut-shaped object in a galaxy 53 million light-years from Earth.

Families of Florida high school massacre victims criticize notification process

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Families whose loved ones perished in last year’s Florida high school massacre told a state commission Wednesday they waited hours, often alone in a room, before being told of the death in a process that seemed chaotic and lacking empathy.

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