USA

14 October 2023; AA: New York City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov was arrested Friday after she was seen on social media displaying a handgun at a pro-Palestinian rally at Brooklyn College, according to reports that cited police. 

The conservative Republican councilwoman was arrested after turning herself into the 70th Precinct in Brooklyn. She was charged with "criminal possession of a firearm," NBC New York reported.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans chose firebrand Rep. Jim Jordan as their new nominee for House speaker during internal voting Friday, putting the gavel within reach of the staunch ally of GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump.

13 October 2023; MEMO: The White House stated, on Friday, that Israel’s call for more than one million people in Gaza to evacuate to the south is a “tall order”, Anadolu Agency reports.

"That’s gonna be a tall order, given how densely populated it is, given that it’s a scene of combat" said National Security Council spokesperson, John Kirby, in an interview with MSNBC.

14 October 2023; MEMO: United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the situation in Gaza had reached “a dangerous new low”.

Guterres told reporters: “We need immediate humanitarian access throughout Gaza so that we can get fuel, food and water to everyone in need.”

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United Nations issued an emergency appeal for US$294 million to address “the most urgent needs” in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where more than 400,000 Palestinians have fled their homes in recent days.

The funds would be used to help more than 1.2 million people, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said, adding that recent fighting in the region had left aid groups without adequate resources.

NEW YORK, Oct 12 (Reuters) - At Columbia University on Thursday, two groups of hundreds of students tensely faced each other in dueling pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrations, while university officials blocked public access to the New York City campus as a safety measure.

WASHINGTON, Oct 12 (Reuters) - The United States must prepare for possible simultaneous wars with Russia and China by expanding its conventional forces, strengthening alliances and enhancing its nuclear weapons modernization program, a congressionally appointed bipartisan panel said on Thursday.

The report from the Strategic Posture Commission comes amid tensions with China over Taiwan and other issues and worsening frictions with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

LOS ANGELES, Oct 13 (Reuters) - U.S. law enforcement agencies have escalated security measures to safeguard Jewish and Muslim communities ahead of global pro-Palestinian protests expected on Friday, but urged members of the public to go about their daily routines.

Police in the two most populous U.S. cities - New York and Los Angeles - said they would step up patrols, especially around synagogues and Jewish community centers, though authorities insisted they were unaware of any specific, or credible threats.

NEW YORK (AP) — Several of former President Donald Trump ‘s Republican rivals denounced him on Thursday for lashing out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu days after Hamas’ deadly attack, a rare moment in which multiple competitors directly criticized the GOP front-runner.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and Qatar have reached an agreement that the Qataris will not act on any request from Tehran for the time being to access $6 billion in Iranian funds that were unblocked as part of a prisoner swap last month, a U.S. official said Thursday.