North America

NEW YORK, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- The police, a symbol of law, are the defenders of our society, and should never be treated as enemies, said Hugh H. Mo, a former deputy police commissioner of New York City Police Department (NYPD), in a Tuesday interview with Xinhua.

Talking about the protests in Hong Kong, Mo said the situation is very peculiar for police forces in this Chinese port city, when friendly ties between the police and civilians seem to come to an unexpected challenge.

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- A UN humanitarian official said Tuesday that many aid programs in Yemen are closing down due to the slow fulfillment of funding pledges for the conflict-torn country.

Ursula Mueller, UN assistant secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, told the Security Council that "only 34 percent of plan requirements have been met," while "at this time last year, the plan was 65 percent funded."

At a UN conference in February, donors pledged 2.6 billion U.S. dollars for Yemen humanitarian aid, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The highly publicized arrest of a man in the killing of a Utah college student this summer prompted a woman to come forward and report that he had sexually abused her during a dinner date at his home in 2018, authorities said Tuesday.

Ayoola Ajayi is charged in a new court filing with assaulting the woman he met on a dating app. The woman reported the crime after Ajayi was charged in June with murder and kidnapping in the death of 23-year-old Mackenzie Lueck, said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday his government is talking to “various representatives” of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who also confirmed that “secret” discussions had been taking place.

In a nationally broadcast appearance hours after Trump spoke, Maduro said that talks had long been underway between high officials in his government and the U.S. administration.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — President Donald Trump has been on a tear about Google that traces back to a series of unfounded claims about the technology giant circulating among conservatives. Among those claims: that Google interferes with U.S. elections, is biased against conservatives and prefers working with the Chinese military over the Pentagon.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday that greater cooperation and “fresh thinking to solve old problems” are needed in the Middle East — but he also condemned Iran and its proxies for continuing “to foment terror and unrest” in the region.

NEW YORK (AP) — When Donald Trump assumed the presidency, conservative religious leaders drew up “wish lists’ of steps they hoped he’d take to oppose abortion and rein in the LGBTQ-rights movement. With a flurry of recent actions, Trump’s administration is now winning their praise for aggressively fulfilling many of their goals.

Mat Staver, president of the legal advocacy organization Liberty Counsel, said Trump has fulfilled about 90% of the goals on a list that Staver and other conservative leaders compiled.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Showing a fresh willingness to play politics along religious lines, President Donald Trump said Tuesday that American Jewish people who vote for Democrats show “either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty.”

Trump’s claim triggered a quick uproar from critics who said the president was trading in anti-Semitic stereotypes. It came amid his ongoing feud with Democratic congresswomen Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, both Muslim.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump acknowledged Tuesday his aggressive China trade policies may mean economic pain for Americans but insisted they’re needed for more important long-term benefits. He contended he does not fear a recession but is nonetheless considering new tax cuts to promote growth.

Asked if his trade war with China could tip the country into recession, Trump brushed off the idea as “irrelevant” and said it was imperative to “take China on.”

“It’s about time, whether it’s good for our country or bad for our country short term,” he said.

Washington, Aug 20 (PTI) US President Donald Trump has asked Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to "moderate rhetoric" with India over Kashmir, as he underlined the need of exercising "restraint" by both sides and avoid escalation of the "tough" situation in the region.

Trump on Monday spoke separately to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Khan in his bid to ease fresh Indo-Pak tensions after India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.