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THE UNITED NATIONS, January 26. /TASS/. Russia firmly condemns attempts to push Venezuela into an abyss of a deadly civil war, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia said at a UN Security Council emergency meeting on Venezuela on Saturday.

"We vehemently condemn those who are pushing Venezuelan society into an abyss of a deadly strife," he said. "The United States is depicting a picture of confrontation between ‘Maduro’s regime’ and the Venezuelans.

THE UNITED NATIONS, January 26. /TASS/. The UN Security Council (UNSC) failed to agree upon a joint statement on Venezuela because of the contentious position of the United States, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia said at the UNSC meeting on the situation in Venezuela.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Russia for blocking the joint statement of UNSC.

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Security Council on Friday held an open debate to discuss the impact of climate change on peace and security, while calling for action to diminish the effects of global warming.

"The risks associated with climate-related disasters do not represent a scenario of some distant future. They are already a reality today for millions of people around the globe," Rosemary DiCarlo, UN's political affairs chief, told the debate.

NEW YORK (AP) — Bryan Singer, the director of the Oscar-nominated “Bohemian Rhapsody,” has been accused of sexually assaulting minors in an expose published by the Atlantic.

The Atlantic on Wednesday published a lengthy article based on a 12-month investigation. It details the stories of four alleged victims who said they were seduced and molested by the “Bohemian Rhapsody” director while underage. Three of the men spoke on the condition of anonymity. Victor Valdovinos said he was molested by Singer on the set of 1998′s “Apt Pupil” when he was in the seventh grade.

NEW YORK (AP) — A white supremacist pleaded guilty Wednesday to killing a black man with a sword as part of an attack that authorities said was intended to incite a race war in the United States.

James Jackson admitted to fatally stabbing 66-year-old Timothy Caughman in March 2017 after stalking a number of black men in New York City.

Jackson, who is white, told police he traveled from Baltimore to carry out the attack because New York is the media capital of the world. He said the slaying was intended to be practice for further assaults on black people.

NEW YORK, January 21. /TASS/. Family members of Paul Whelan who was detained in Russia on espionage charges have launched a crowdfunding campaign to help him pay for his legal defense, his brother David Whelan told TASS in an e-mail.

"Now that Paul has started to receive consular support, and we know his health is being watched and that his rights are being looked after, our family has started crowdfunding to help Paul pay for his legal defense," David Whelan said.

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Falling temperatures replaced the weekend’s falling snow Monday as bitter cold and gusty winds swept across the eastern United States.

The National Weather Service had forecast that temperatures would be more than 20 degrees below normal across the Northeast, with wind gusts up to 30 mph (48 kph) and wind chills approaching minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 40 degrees Celsius) in northern New York and Vermont.

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- Matthew Nimetz, the UN envoy who brokered a Greece-Macedonia deal on their dispute over the latter's name, has asked Athens to ratify the deal as Skopje has completed its internal legal procedures.

Skopje on Wednesday formally informed the Greek government of its ratification of the deal known as the Prespa Agreement, following a parliamentary vote on Dec. 13, Nimetz said in a statement on Sunday.

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks in the U.S. and Europe jumped Friday as renewed hopes for progress in trade talks between the U.S. and China helped the markets finish the week with another strong gain.

Indexes jumped after Bloomberg News reported that China’s government offered to buy more goods and services from the U.S., potentially eliminating its trade deficit by 2024. For investors, the encouraging news on trade builds on recent positive signs for the U.S. economy and indications from the Federal Reserve that it will be patient when considering future interest rate hikes.

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal government employees affected by the government shutdown can get some free entertainment in New York.

The Metropolitan Opera says it is offering free tickets to people with government IDs from Saturday through the end of the month. A pair of tickets per performance can be reserved in advance by telephone or in person at the Met box office.