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UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations chief and representatives from Western nations berated Russia’s top diplomat as he chaired a U.N. meeting Monday, accusing Moscow of violating the U.N. Charter by attacking Ukraine and occupying part of its territory.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov responded by defending his country’s military action and accusing the U.S. and its allies of undercutting global diplomacy, the foundation of the United Nations, which was created to prevent a third world war.

NEW YORK (AP) — The American front door is a place where the welcome mat offers friendly greetings, where affable neighbors knock or ring, where boxes brimming with possibility are delivered. It is where home meets a world full of potentially good things.

The American front door is a place where signs trumpet words of warning, where cameras monitor visitors in high definition, where intruders find an entry point. It is where only a hunk of wood or metal separates the innermost spaces of home from a world full of chaos.

NEW YORK (AP) — Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg agreed Friday to let Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee question an ex-prosecutor about the criminal case against former President Donald Trump.

Under the agreement, committee members will be able to question Mark Pomerantz under oath next month in Washington. The deal resolves a lawsuit in which Bragg had sought to block Pomerantz from testifying, ending a legal dispute that escalated to a federal appeals court just weeks after Trump’s historic indictment.

NEW YORK (AP) — The opening phase of the Republican presidential primary has largely centered on former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ′ escalating collision.

But a new wave of GOP White House hopefuls will begin entering the race as soon as next week following a months’-long lull. They include former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who will formally launch his campaign Wednesday.

UNITED NATIONS, April 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Some 67 million children partially or fully missed routine vaccines globally between 2019 and 2021 because of lockdowns and health care disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the United Nations said.

“More than a decade of hard-earned gains in routine childhood immunization have been eroded,” read a new report from the UN’s children’s agency, UNICEF, adding that getting back on track “will be challenging.”

UNITED NATIONS, April 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The UN secretary-general is convening an international meeting on Afghanistan on May 1-2 in Doha, where envoys will seek a “durable way forward” for the war-ravaged nation, his spokesman said.

Antonio Guterres will host the closed-door gathering featuring special envoys on Afghanistan from various countries who aim to “clarify expectations” on concerns including the Taliban’s restrictions on women, according to spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

UNITED NATIONS, April 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres continues efforts towards ensuring an end to the hostilities in Sudan, his Spokesperson said on Wednesday, amid reports of a new ceasefire between warring military factions and refugees fleeing the country across the border into Chad. 

The UN chief spoke earlier in the day to President William Ruto of Kenya and with the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Moussa Faki. 

UNITED NATIONS, April 20 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called for accelerated climate action through global cooperation.

"We need global acceleration through cooperation. And that means rising above disagreements, differences and tensions. Geopolitical divisions must not torpedo the world's climate fight for 1.5 degrees," he told the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate in a video message.

UNITED NATIONS, April 19 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is scheduled to attend a virtual meeting on Sudan on Thursday, a UN spokesman said.

The meeting will bring together the chairperson of the African Union, the secretary-general of the Arab League, the executive secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, and other relevant organizations, Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for Guterres, told reporters on Wednesday.

20 Apr 2023; MEMO: Credit rating agency, Moody's, downgraded Israel's economic outlook from positive on Friday, citing the "deterioration of Israel's governance". The move comes despite efforts by Israeli President, Isaac Herzog, and Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to persuade the New York based agency not to lower Israel's credit rating. Both are said to have held unsuccessful talks with senior Moody's executives.