North America

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia’s top diplomat on Saturday defended the Mali government’s right to hire a private Russian military company to help fight terrorists, accusing French troops in the country of failing to get rid of them and scolding the European Union for demanding that the Russian mercenaries leave.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the company has a “legitimate” right to be in the West African nation because it was invited by the transitional government, and insisted Russian government is not involved.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia, China, Pakistan and the United States are working together to ensure that Afghanistan’s new Taliban rulers keep their promises, especially to form a genuinely representative government and prevent extremism from spreading, Russia’s foreign minister said Saturday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats pushed a $3.5 trillion, 10-year bill strengthening social safety net and climate programs through the House Budget Committee, but one Democrat voted “no,” illustrating the challenges party leaders face in winning the near unanimity they’ll need to push the sprawling package through Congress.

JOPLIN, Mont. (AP) — At least three people were killed Saturday afternoon when an Amtrak train that runs between Seattle and Chicago derailed in north-central Montana, toppling several cars onto their sides, authorities said.

The westbound Empire Builder train derailed about 4 p.m. near Joplin, a town of about 200, Amtrak spokesman Jason Abrams said in a statement. The accident scene is about 150 miles (241 kilometers) northeast of Helena and about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from the border with Canada.

UNITED NATIONS, Sep 25 (APP): Pakistan Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi held wide-ranging talks with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Friday that focused on the decades-old Kashmir dispute and the evolving situation in Afghanistan.

A, according to an official press release.
The meeting took place at the UN headquarters in New York, an official press release issued by the Pakistan Mission to the UN said.

UNITED NATIONS, September 25. /TASS/: In his address to the 76th UN General Assembly on Friday, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili put forward the Peaceful Neighborhood Initiative to promote peace and stability in the Black Sea region.

"From a geopolitical perspective, the Black Sea region is growing ever more important. The Black Sea is on the front lines of a dynamic regional chess match. It is a microcosm of conflict management; if we can maintain peace and stability here, we can do so elsewhere," the Georgian premier said.

MEXICO CITY, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Friday urged the United Nations to intervene in Haiti, saying the Caribbean nation is racked by instability, violence and "total disorder."

"Something has to be done and the UN is taking too long here," Lopez Obrador told reporters during his daily press conference at the National Palace in Mexico City.

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday gave Israel one year to end its occupation of Palestinian territory.

"Israel, the occupying power, has one year to withdraw from the Palestinian territory it occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem," he told the General Assembly in a fiery speech.

"We are ready to work throughout this year on the delineation of borders and solving all final-status issues under the auspices of the international Quartet and in accordance with UN resolutions," he said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Three Supreme Court justices delivered the same plea in rapid succession in recent days: Don’t view justices as politicians.

The justices have reason to be concerned. Recent polls show a sharp drop in approval of a court now dominated by conservatives.

24 Sep 2021; MEMO: At least 350,209 people have been killed in the decade-old war in Syria, the United Nations human rights office said today in its first report since 2014 on the death toll, adding that the tally was an "undercount", Reuters reports.

The figure includes civilians and combatants and is based on strict methodology requiring the full name of the deceased, as well as an established date and location of death.