Today: September 24, 2024
Today: September 24, 2024

World

World

Affirmative action is out in higher education. What comes next for college admissions?

Colleges across the country will be forced to stop considering race in admissions under Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling, ending affirmative action policies that date back decades. Schools that have relied on race-conscious admissions policies to build diversity will have to rethink how they admit students. It’s expected to result in campuses that have more white and Asian American students and fewer Black and Hispanic students. The impact of the decision will be felt most strongly at the nation’s most selective colleges, which have been more likely to consider race as one of many factors in admissions. But some less selective

June 29, 2023
Affirmative action is out in higher education. What comes next for college admissions?
World

A new pro women's hockey league is set to launch in January in North America, ending a long standoff

Organizers announced plans Friday to launch a new women’s professional hockey league in January that they hope will provide a stable, economically respectable home for the sport’s top players for years to come. The North American league has many unanswered questions — how many teams, where they will play, will the economic model work after earlier leagues fell short — but an initial framework is in place. The effort also has deep pockets behind it: Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Mark Walter and wife Kimbra, team President Stan Kasten and tennis legend Billie Jean King will help run the league. “Over

June 30, 2023
A new pro women's hockey league is set to launch in January in North America, ending a long standoff
World

600 arrested and 200 police officers hurt on France's 3rd night of protests over teen's killing

Protesters erected barricades, lit fires and shot fireworks at police in French streets overnight as tensions grew over the deadly police shooting of a 17-year-old that has shocked the nation. More than 600 people were arrested and at least 200 police officers injured as the government struggled to restore order on a third night of unrest. Armored police vehicles rammed through the charred remains of cars that had been flipped and set ablaze in the northwestern Paris suburb of Nanterre, where a police officer shot the teen identified only by his first name, Nahel. On the

June 30, 2023
600 arrested and 200 police officers hurt on France's 3rd night of protests over teen's killing
World

Jersey Shore towns say state's marijuana law handcuffs police and emboldens rowdy teens

It’s summer on the Jersey Shore. For many young people, that means one thing: Party time! But officials and residents of several beachside towns say New Jersey’s criminal justice reforms in recent years — such as decriminalizing marijuana use — are having an unintended effect, emboldening large groups of teenagers to run amok on beaches and boardwalks, knowing there’s little chance they’ll get in trouble for it. Now, some lawmakers are trying to walk back parts of those laws, which also involve alcohol use and possession. The laws were designed to keep more juveniles out

June 30, 2023
Jersey Shore towns say state's marijuana law handcuffs police and emboldens rowdy teens
World

The world's tallest flagpole. A tiny Maine town. An idea meant to unite people is dividing them

Lobster boat engines rumble to life in quiet coves. Lumberjacks trudge deep into the woods. Farmers tend expanses of wild blueberries. Maine’s Down East region is where the sunlight first kisses the East Coast of the United States each day, where the vast wilderness and ocean meet in one of the last places on the East Coast unspoiled by development. Which makes it a striking backdrop to one family’s bold vision for the region: a flagpole jutting upward from the woodlands toward spacious skies — the tallest one ever, reaching higher than the Empire State

June 30, 2023
The world's tallest flagpole. A tiny Maine town. An idea meant to unite people is dividing them
World

Aces rout Liberty 98-81 in a matchup of marquee WNBA teams for their seventh straight win

Becky Hammon wasn’t going to put too much into the Las Vegas Aces’ rout of the New York Liberty in the first meeting between two of the top teams in the WNBA. “We’re in June still. We’re not banking too much on this,” Hammon said after the 98-81 win Thursday night. “Feels better than losing. At the end of the day we have a lot of basketball left to be played.” It was the seventh consecutive win for the Aces (14-1), who have been nearly unstoppable this season on offense, averaging nearly 93 points a game.

June 30, 2023
Aces rout Liberty 98-81 in a matchup of marquee WNBA teams for their seventh straight win
World

Arizona city holds 10-year remembrance for 19 firefighters who died in the Yarnell Hill Fire

It was one of the deadliest wildland fires ever in the U.S., killing 19 members of an elite central Arizona firefighting crew in 2013 after flames trapped them in a brush-choked canyon. The city of Prescott and the neighboring town of Yarnell marked a decade without the fallen Granite Mountain Hotshots on Friday with separate events. In Prescott, the downtown Yavapai County Courthouse Plaza was flooded with attendees, first responders from all over the country and dignitaries including Gov. Katie Hobbs. Portraits of each firefighter were on display as an honor guard opened the ceremony. Each name was read to

June 30, 2023
Arizona city holds 10-year remembrance for 19 firefighters who died in the Yarnell Hill Fire
World

Ukraine aims to wear down and outsmart a Russian army distracted by infighting

The ambush had been postponed three times before Ukrainian commanders decided one recent night that conditions were finally right. Cloaked in darkness, a battalion of Kyiv’s 129th brigade pressed ahead, advancing stealthily on unsuspecting Russian soldiers. By the time the Russians situated along the front line realized they were under attack, it was too late. Ukraine’s recapture of the small village of Neskuchne in the eastern Donetsk region on June 10 encapsulates the opening strategy of a major counteroffensive launched earlier this month. Small platoons bank on the element of surprise and, when successful, make incremental

June 30, 2023
Ukraine aims to wear down and outsmart a Russian army distracted by infighting
World

Ukraine has an array of new Western weapons. What advantages could they offer in a counteroffensive?

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Ukraine’s military was largely reliant on Soviet-era weaponry, from tanks to artillery to fighter jets. While that arsenal helped Ukraine fend off an assault on the capital of Kyiv and prevent a total rout in the early weeks of the war, billions of dollars in military assistance has since poured into the country, including more modern Western-made weapons. Ukraine’s counteroffensive, now in its early stages, could offer a glimpse of whether and to what extent the newer weapons systems have strengthened Kyiv’s ability to stand up to Russia. Analysts are cautiously optimistic. “Ukraine

June 30, 2023
Ukraine has an array of new Western weapons. What advantages could they offer in a counteroffensive?
World

Stock market today: World shares are mostly higher after strong data lift Wall St benchmarks

Shares were mixed Friday in Asia after after strong data lifted benchmarks on Wall Street, while China reported slower factory activity in June due to weaker consumer spending and export demand. U.S. futures were little changed and oil prices ticked higher. Adding to signs that an economic rebound following the end of anti-virus controls is cooling, an official survey showed China’s factory activity contracted for another month in June as export orders decreased. Germany’s DAX gained 0.3% to 15,997.34 and the CAC 40 in Paris climbed 0.5% to 7,347.98. Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 0.2% to 7,485.72. The

June 30, 2023
Stock market today: World shares are mostly higher after strong data lift Wall St benchmarks
World

The IMF agrees to a long-awaited bailout for Pakistan of $3 billion

The International Monetary Fund agreed to provide $3 billion to Pakistan — a long-awaited relief to bail out the impoverished country’s ailing economy. The nine-month agreement must be approved by the IMF’s Executive Board, which is expected to make a final decision in mid-July, a top IMF official, Nathan Porter, said in a statement late Thursday. Porter, the IMF’s mission chief to Islamabad, said Pakistan’s economy has faced several external shocks, such as the catastrophic floods in 2022 that killed 1,739 people, caused $30 billion in damage and impacted millions of Pakistanis. The country was also hit

June 30, 2023
The IMF agrees to a long-awaited bailout for Pakistan of $3 billion
World

Dutch semiconductor machine export restrictions to come into force in September

Dutch companies that create machines that make advanced processor chips will be required to have an export license before they can be sold overseas starting in September, the government announced Friday. The new measure that was first announced in March, “is country neutral,” the government said. But it is seen as part of a U.S. policy that aims at restricting China’s access to materials used to make such chips, which can be used in military technology. The requirement will notably affect Duch company ASML, the world’s only producer of machines that use extreme ultraviolet lithography

June 30, 2023
Dutch semiconductor machine export restrictions to come into force in September
World

Europe inflation slips to 5.5% — but that won't stop central bank rate hikes

Inflation in Europe slid again in June but fell too slowly to offer much relief to shoppers grumbling over price tags or to stop more interest rate hikes that will raise the cost of borrowing across the economy. The annual rate of 5.5% was down from 6.1% in May in the 20 countries that use the euro currency, the European Union statistics agency Eurostat said Friday. While that is a big drop from the peak of 10.6% in October, persistently high prices in the U.S., Europe and the United Kingdom pushed some of the world’s top

June 30, 2023
Europe inflation slips to 5.5% — but that won't stop central bank rate hikes
World

The US flies nuclear-capable bombers in a fresh show of force against North Korea

The United States flew nuclear-capable bombers to the Korean Peninsula on Friday in its latest show of force against North Korea, days after the North staged massive anti-U.S. rallies in its capital. The long-range B-52 bombers took part in joint aerial drills with other U.S. and South Korean fighter jets over the peninsula, South Korea’s Defense Ministry said in a statement. The bombers’ flyover is the latest in a series of temporary U.S. deployments of strategic assets in South Korea in response to North Korea’s push to expand its nuclear arsenal. Two weeks ago, the

June 30, 2023
The US flies nuclear-capable bombers in a fresh show of force against North Korea
World

Paris Saint-Germain coach Christophe Galtier and his son detained in racism probe

Paris Saint-Germain coach Christophe Galtier and his son have been detained as part of an investigation into racism allegations at one of his former clubs, Nice prosecutor Xavier Bonhomme told The Associated Press. Galtier and his son, John Valovic-Galtier, were placed in custody for questioning on Friday morning, Bonhomme said without elaborating. Galtier, who is on his way out at PSG but still under contract, denied accusations that he made racist and anti-Muslim comments when he was in charge of French club Nice when the scandal broke earlier this year. RMC Sport and other French media published reports quoting a

June 30, 2023
Paris Saint-Germain coach Christophe Galtier and his son detained in racism probe
World

Venus Williams will begin her 24th Wimbledon appearance against Elina Svitolina

Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams will begin her 24th appearance at the tournament against 2019 semifinalist Elina Svitolina, while Friday’s draw put two-time titlist Andy Murray up against wild-card entry Ryan Peniston in an all-British first-round matchup. Williams, who is 43 and has played just five matches this season, and Svitolina, who returned to the tour in April after taking time off to have a baby, both were given wild cards by the All England Club. Whoever wins that contest could face No. 28 seed Elise Mertens in the second round, followed perhaps by a matchup

June 30, 2023
Venus Williams will begin her 24th Wimbledon appearance against Elina Svitolina
World

Prosecutor says Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey is a 'sexual bully' who preys on other men

Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey gets a thrill by preying on other men, a prosecutor told jurors during his sexual assault trial Friday in a London courtroom. Spacey is “a man who does not respect personal boundaries or space, a man who it would seem delights in making others feel powerless and uncomfortable — a sexual bully, ” Prosecutor Christine Agnew said in her opening statement. “His preferred method of assault is, it appears, to grab aggressively other men in the crotch.” The four men who have accused Spacey of sexual assault did not know each other, but

June 30, 2023
Prosecutor says Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey is a 'sexual bully' who preys on other men
World

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen had been a huge Facebook fan. Now he's threatening to ban it

Cambodia’s long-serving, tough-talking leader, Hun Sen, on Friday said he is considering banning Facebook in his country, largely because he is fed up with the abuse he receives on it from his political enemies abroad. Pulling the plug on Facebook for millions of Cambodian users would be the last stage in a lightning estrangement this past week between the 70-year-old prime minister and the social media platform. He had been an enthusiastic user, posting family snapshots alongside dire warnings to his foes, and recently livestreaming his many, sometimes hours-long speeches. On Wednesday, he suddenly announced

June 30, 2023
Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen had been a huge Facebook fan. Now he's threatening to ban it
World

This year's Hajj was held in sweltering heat, and for those serving pilgrims there was little relief

As hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims walked in the footsteps of the prophets beneath a sweltering sun, contracted cleaners in lime-green jumpsuits held out matching plastic bags to collect their empty water bottles. It takes tens of thousands of cleaners, security personnel, medics and others to make the annual Hajj pilgrimage possible for 1.8 million faithful from around the world. As the Hajj concludes on Friday, the workers will begin a massive, weeklong cleanup effort. For the cleaners, who are migrant workers, it’s a much-needed source of income. But this year it was particularly

June 30, 2023
This year's Hajj was held in sweltering heat, and for those serving pilgrims there was little relief
World

Executives urge Europe to rethink its world-leading AI rules

More than 150 company executives are urging the European Union to rethink the world’s most comprehensive rules for artificial intelligence, saying Friday that upcoming regulations will make it harder for companies in Europe to compete with rivals overseas, especially when it comes to the technology behind systems like ChatGPT. Officials at companies from French planemaker Airbus and carmaker Renault to Dutch beer giant Heineken signed an open letter to EU leaders saying the 27-nation bloc’s groundbreaking legislation may put shackles on the development of generative AI. That technology gives popular AI chatbots like ChatGPT the power to

June 30, 2023
Executives urge Europe to rethink its world-leading AI rules
World

An inflation gauge tracked by the Federal Reserve falls to its lowest point in 2 years

An inflation index that is closely monitored by the Federal Reserve tumbled last month to its lowest level since April 2021, pulled down by lower gas prices and slower-rising food costs. At the same time, consumers barely increased their spending last month, boosting it just 0.1%, after a solid 0.6% gain in April. The inflation index showed that prices rose 3.8% in May from 12 months earlier, down sharply from a 4.4% year-over-year surge in April. And from April to May, prices ticked up just 0.1%. Still, last month’s progress in easing overall inflation was tempered by

June 30, 2023
An inflation gauge tracked by the Federal Reserve falls to its lowest point in 2 years
World

A week after an armed rebellion rattled Russia, key details about it are still shrouded in mystery

Did mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin have inside help from the military and political elite in his armed rebellion that rattled Russia? A week after the mutiny raised the most daunting challenge to President Vladimir Putin’s rule in over two decades, key details about the uprising are still unknown. Uncertainty also swirls around the fate of Prigozhin and his Wagner private military forces, along with the deal they got from the Kremlin, and what the future holds for the Russian defense minister they tried to oust. Finally, and perhaps the biggest unknown: Can Putin shore up the weaknesses revealed by the

June 30, 2023
A week after an armed rebellion rattled Russia, key details about it are still shrouded in mystery
World

South African president cleared of wrongdoing in scandal over $580,000 in cash stolen from his farm

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was cleared of wrongdoing Friday by a public watchdog over a scandal involving the theft of more than half a million dollars in U.S. currency that had been stashed in a sofa at his game farm. Acting Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka, whose office holds politicans to account, said Ramaphosa did not violate the ethics code for members of South Africa’s executive over the incident, which happened in 2020 but was only revealed publicly last year. The scandal was seen as the biggest callenge to Ramaphosa’s reputation and his leadership of Africa’s most

June 30, 2023
South African president cleared of wrongdoing in scandal over $580,000 in cash stolen from his farm
World

Vatican reports income boost in charitable fund, even as donations dip following financial scandals

The Vatican on Friday reported that a key charitable fund, Peter’s Pence, doubled its income in 2022 to 107 million euros, or more than $166 million, even as donations from the faithful dipped slightly following years of scandal over financial mismanagement at the Holy See. Overall, the Peter’s Pence fund, which finances the Vatican bureaucracy and the pope’s charitable projects around the world, ended 2022 with 11.5 million euros in surplus compared to an 18.4 million-euro deficit in 2021. That year, it only brought in 46.9 million euros in income, according to the financial statement. It’s the second year that

June 30, 2023
Vatican reports income boost in charitable fund, even as donations dip following financial scandals
World

The key players in last weekend's armed rebellion in Russia

The key players in last weekend’s armed rebellion by Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin: YEVGENY PRIGOZHIN Prigozhin, 62, owed his position and his fortune to links with President Vladimir Putin. The former convict who became a St. Petersburg restaurateur was dubbed “Putin’s chef” for lucrative Kremlin catering contracts. He expanded into other areas and founded the Wagner Group — a private military contractor that was active in Syria and several African countries. The Kremlin relied on Wagner to help shore up its forces in Ukraine after the regular military suffered humiliating setbacks there. Wagner spearheaded attacks on the eastern Ukrainian

June 30, 2023
The key players in last weekend's armed rebellion in Russia

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