USA

WASHINGTON, Oct 24 (Reuters) - The top U.S. and Russian generals held talks by phone on Monday for the first time since May, a U.S. official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The official did not immediately provide further details on the conversation between U.S. Army General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Russian military Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov.

WASHINGTON, Oct 24 (Reuters) - The top law enforcement officials in the United States will on Monday announce U.S. action targeting "malign influence schemes and alleged criminal activity" by a "nation-state actor," the Department of Justice said.

The national security cases will be discussed at a news conference at 1:30 p.m. (1730 GMT), the department said in a statement, without giving further details. It did not name the country or entity.

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s company goes on trial Monday in a criminal tax case and the first task facing the court is a big one: Picking a jury of New Yorkers who don’t have a strong opinion about the former president.

Manhattan prosecutors say the Trump Organization helped top executives avoid income taxes on job perks such as rent-free apartments and luxury cars.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The trial of a far-right extremist group leader and four associates charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was delayed on Monday after the Oath Keepers leader tested positive for the coronavirus.

Jurors were supposed to begin hearing the fourth week of testimony in the case against Stewart Rhodes and four others accused of plotting to stop the transfer of power from Republican Donald Trump to Democrat Joe Biden.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The COVID-19 pandemic spared no state or region as it caused historic learning setbacks for America’s children, erasing decades of academic progress and widening racial disparities, according to results of a national test that provide the sharpest look yet at the scale of the crisis.

NEW YORK (AP) — When Wilfredo Molina arrived in the U.S. from his native Venezuela, he told border agents he wanted to go to Miami but didn’t have an address. They directed him to what he thought was a shelter in midtown Manhattan but turned out to be a gray office building.

“It was a fake building. I didn’t understand what it was,” he said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats have held both chambers of Congress and the presidency for the last two years, but they may not have such consolidated power for much longer.

Republicans are favored to win the House in the Nov. 8 midterm elections, bolstered by frustration over the economy and advantages in the redistricting process that takes place every 10 years. But Democrats are working to hold their ground, campaigning on maintaining access to abortion and other issues.

WASHINGTON, October 22. /TASS/: The US Army's 101st Airborne Division is ready to enter Ukraine in case of further tensions between Moscow and Kiev or an attack on a NATO member state, CBS News reported, citing the division’s command staff.

SAN JOSE, Oct 23 (NNN-XINHUA) – A small plane with five German nationals on board, went missing near the Caribbean coast, off Costa Rica on Friday afternoon, Public Security Minister, Jorge Torres, confirmed Friday night.

The minister said, the plane was heading for the airport in Costa Rica’s eastern province of Limon, when it disappeared from the radar.

“Around 6:00 p.m. we received an alert about a flight from Mexico to Limon. The aircraft was travelling with five passengers of German nationality,” Torres said, in a video announcement.

Oct 23 (Reuters) - Salman Rushdie lost sight in one eye and the use of one hand following an attack on stage at a literary event in western New York in August, his agent said.

Andrew Wylie, who represents literary giants such as Saul Bellow and Roberto Bolano, described the extent of the injuries Rushdie suffered in the "brutal" attack in an interview with Spanish newspaper El Pais.