North America

9 Nov 2019; MEMO: The prison conditions in Egypt may have directly led to the death of former President Mohamed Morsi, and may be placing the health and lives of thousands more prisoners at severe risk, UN independent experts said today.

“Dr. Morsi was held in conditions that can only be described as brutal, particularly during his five-year detention in the Tora prison complex,” the experts said. “Dr. Morsi’s death after enduring those conditions could amount to a State-sanctioned arbitrary killing.”

THE UNITED NATIONS, November 8. /TASS/: The UN General Assembly's First Committee on disarmament has voted against Russia's proposal to consider moving its sessions from the United States if the UN and Washington fail to resolve visa issues of Russian delegates, a TASS correspondent reported. Eighteen countries supported Russia's proposal, 69 states voted against it, and another 72 countries abstained. Among those who supported the proposal were China, Kazakhstan, Syria, Iran, several Latin American and African countries.

9 November 2019; AFP: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday slammed Tehran's treatment of an inspector with the UN's nuclear watchdog agency last week as "an outrageous and unwarranted act of intimidation."

The top US diplomat said Iran "detained" the inspector, who the International Atomic Energy Agency has said had been briefly prevented from leaving Iran.

UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- The First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) rejected on Friday a draft decision that would potentially have it convened in Geneva or Vienna in 2020.

The draft decision was prompted by concerns among some delegations that the United States is failing to abide by its host country obligations when issuing visas to UN member state representatives.

UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Almost daily violence targeting built-up areas and health facilities in Syria continues to threaten the lives of civilians there, the United Nations said Friday.

At least 92 people have been killed in northeastern and northwestern Syria in the weeks following Oct. 9, when Turkish forces invaded Kurdish-held border areas in the northeast, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Mercury is putting on a rare celestial show next week, parading across the sun in view of most of the world.

The solar system’s smallest, innermost planet will resemble a tiny black dot Monday as it passes directly between Earth and the sun. It begins at 7:35 a.m. EST.

The entire 5 ½-hour event will be visible, weather permitting, in the eastern U.S. and Canada, and all Central and South America. The rest of North America, Europe and Africa will catch part of the action. Asia and Australia will miss out.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former national security adviser John Bolton was “part of many relevant meetings and conversations” pertaining to the House impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump that are not yet public, his lawyer said Friday.

Charles Cooper made the revelation in a letter that suggests Bolton will appear before Congress only if a judge orders him to do so.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s campaign viewed Roger Stone as an “access point” to WikiLeaks and tried to use him to get advanced word about hacked emails damaging to Hillary Clinton, a former top presidential adviser testified Friday.

In reluctant testimony, former campaign CEO Steve Bannon told a federal court that Stone, on trial for lying to Congress and witness tampering, had boasted about his ties to WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange, alerting them to pending new batches of damaging emails.

COLONIA LEBARON, Mexico (AP) — U.S. citizens living in a small Mexican farming community established by their Mormon ancestors are trying to decide whether they should stay or leave after burying some of the nine American women and children slaughtered this week in a drug cartel ambush.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two White House officials described tensions and frustrations among some of the nation’s top diplomats as President Donald Trump, backed by his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, pressured Ukraine to investigate Democrats.