New York

UNITED NATIONS, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The international community must help Syria move toward a political solution following the recent deadly earthquakes, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday.

NEW YORK (AP) — In the final weeks of the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump’s lawyer tried to buy the silence of a porn actress who said she had a sexual encounter with the Republican during his days as a reality TV star.

More than six years later, New York prosecutors appear to be close to deciding whether Trump should face charges in connection with that payoff, in what could become the first criminal case ever brought against a former president.

NEW YORK (AP) — Regulators rushed Friday to seize the assets of one of Silicon Valley’s top banks, marking the largest failure of a U.S. financial institution since the height of the financial crisis almost 15 years ago.

Silicon Valley Bank, the nation’s 16th-largest bank, failed after depositors hurried to withdraw money this week amid anxiety over the bank’s health. It was the second biggest bank failure in U.S. history after the collapse of Washington Mutual in 2008.

NEW YORK (AP) — It wasn’t critics, political foes or their bosses that united Fox News stars Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham when they gathered via text message for a gripe session shortly after the 2020 election.

It was their own network’s news division.

“They’re pathetic,” Carlson wrote.

“THEY AREN’T SMART,” Ingraham emphasized.

“What news have they broken the last four years?” Hannity asked.

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen is scheduled to testify Monday before a Manhattan grand jury investigating hush-money payments made on the former president’s behalf, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. They were not authorized to speak publicly about grand jury proceedings and did so on condition of anonymity.

NEW YORK, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Oil prices declined on Thursday, notching a three-day losing streak, as traders focused on recession risks.

The West Texas Intermediate for April delivery dropped 94 cents, or 1.23 percent, to settle at 75.72 U.S. dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude for May delivery lost 1.07 dollars, or 1.29 percent, to close at 81.59 dollars a barrel on the London ICE Futures Exchange.

The above market reactions came after data showed U.S. initial jobless claims came in higher than expected for the week ending March 4.

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump has been invited to testify before a New York grand jury that has been investigating hush money payments made on his behalf during his 2016 presidential campaign, according to one of his lawyers.

Trump attorney Joseph Tacopina confirmed Thursday that the Manhattan district attorney’s office has invited the former president to testify next week as prosecutors near a decision on whether to proceed with what could be the first criminal case ever brought against a former U.S. president.

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 09 (APP): Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Thursday met the President of the UN General Assembly, Csaba Korosi, ahead of Friday’s high-level meeting to commemorate the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.

Co-convened by the General Assembly president and the Pakistani foreign minister, the meeting will discuss ways and means to deal with growing Islamophobia, as highlighted in the 2020 Assembly resolution designating March 15 as an international day to combat the phenomenon.

NEW YORK (AP) — In May 2018, the nation’s top Republicans needed help. So they called on the founder of Fox News, Rupert Murdoch.

President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell were trying to stop West Virginia Republicans from nominating Don Blankenship, who had been convicted of violating mine safety standards during a lethal accident in one of his coal mines, to challenge the state’s incumbent senator, Democrat Joe Manchin.

UNITED NATIONS, March 8. /TASS/: The grain deal needs to be extended beyond March 18, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said at a meeting with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in Kiev on Wednesday, according to a transcript of the meeting released by the UN.

"I want to underscore the critical importance of the rollover of the Black Sea Grain Initiative on 18 March and of working to create the conditions to enable the greatest possible use of export infrastructures through the Black Sea, in line with the objectives of the initiative," he said.