North America

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The man accused of breaking into former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco home, bludgeoning her husband with a hammer and seeking to kidnap her goes on trial Thursday.

Opening statements are scheduled in the federal trial of David DePape who prosecutors say assaulted then-82-year-old Paul Pelosi, sending shockwaves through the political world just days before last year’s midterm elections. The attack in the early hours of Oct. 28, 2022, also highlighted how conspiracy theories and misinformation that spread online can fuel political violence.

WASHINGTON (AP) — As they face an increasingly urgent task to emerge as a clear alternative to former President Donald Trump, five Republican presidential candidates gathered Wednesday for the party’s latest debate.

Trump, the overwhelming front-runner in the race, skipped the event, as he has the first two, citing his polling advantage. There was no shortage of noteworthy confrontations on stage, as the participants debated the Israel-Hamas war, the future of abortion rights and Trump himself.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Israel has agreed to put in place four-hour daily humanitarian pauses in its assault on Hamas in northern Gaza starting on Thursday, the White House said, as President Joe Biden pressed Israelis for a multi-day stoppage in the fighting in a bid to release hostages held by the militant group.

WASHINGTON, Nov 08 (APP): Pakistan’s Ambassador to the U.S., Masood Khan, has urged Pakistani-American Tech entrepreneurs to invest in promoting Pakistan’s tourism and digitalization of its industry.

“With digitalization of necessary information, including bookings, lodging, transportation and availability of accurate information, the tourism sector of Pakistan will witness a transformative change,” he said at a special session of the Annual Open Silicon Valley Forum 2023 in San Francisco, a city in the US state of California.

WASHINGTON, Nov 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States and China on Monday held rare talks on nuclear arms control, a new step to ease mistrust ahead of an expected presidential summit next week.

The talks — the first meeting specifically on nuclear arms between the two powers since president Barack Obama’s administration — come as the United States voices alarm over China’s growing nuclear arsenal.

No breakthroughs were expected at the one-day talks in Washington, which follow a visit by Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

WASHINGTON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Israel does not intend to "reoccupy" Gaza or control it for a long time, a senior Israeli official said in Washington, as Israeli forces pressed their offensive against Hamas militants in the Palestinian coastal enclave.

"We assess that our current operations are effective and successful, and we'll continue to push," the Israeli official told reporters late on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity. "It's not unlimited or forever," the official added, without giving a specific timeframe.

NEW YORK, Nov 8 (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday that the number of civilians killed in the Gaza Strip shows that there is something "clearly wrong" with Israel's military operations against Hamas Palestinian militants.

Israel has vowed to wipe out Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, after the militants killed 1,400 people and took more than 240 hostages in an Oct. 7 attack. Israel has struck Gaza - an enclave of 2.3 million people - from the air, imposed a siege and launched a ground invasion.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called Republicans’ most recent round of proposed funding cuts to the IRS “damaging and irresponsible” during a Tuesday event meant to commemorate new customer service improvements to the agency.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Facebook and Instagram will require political ads running on their platforms to disclose if they were created using artificial intelligence, their parent company announced on Wednesday.

Under the new policy by Meta, labels acknowledging the use of AI will appear on users’ screens when they click on ads. The rule takes effect Jan. 1 and will be applied worldwide.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Fresh off his emphatic victory in Republican-leaning Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear said Wednesday that Democrats can overcome America’s deep divisions by trying “to lead with compassion” and improving the lives of the people who elect them.

After a bitter campaign against GOP state Attorney General Daniel Cameron, the governor stressed a message of working on behalf of voters who put them in office. Beshear said in his victory speech Tuesday night that his reelection sent a “clear message” that “anger politics” should end.