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

World

World

Israel presses on with hunt for West Bank militants. The death toll rises to 10 and civilians flee

Israeli troops pressed ahead with their hunt for Palestinian militants and weapons in a West Bank refugee camp Tuesday, after military bulldozers tore through alleys and thousands of residents fled to safety. The two-day Palestinian death toll rose to 10. The large-scale raid of the Jenin camp, which began Monday, is one of the most intense military operation in the occupied West Bank in nearly two decades. It bore hallmarks of Israeli military tactics during the second Palestinian uprising in the early 2000s and came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces growing pressure from his

July 04, 2023
Israel presses on with hunt for West Bank militants. The death toll rises to 10 and civilians flee
World

Modi uses speech to Russia-China-led group to swipe at Pakistan, avoids mentioning Ukraine

India’s prime minister on Tuesday took a veiled swipe at rival neighbor Pakistan and avoided mentioning the war in Ukraine while addressing a group of Asian countries led by China and Russia. In his opening speech to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the group should not hesitate to criticize countries that are “using terrorism as an instrument of its state policy.” “Terrorism poses a threat to regional peace and we need to take up a joint fight,” Modi said without naming Pakistan. India regularly accuses Pakistan of training and arming insurgent groups,

July 04, 2023
Modi uses speech to Russia-China-led group to swipe at Pakistan, avoids mentioning Ukraine
World

Masked assailants attack journalist and lawyer in Russia's Chechnya province

Unidentified masked assailants in the Russian province of Chechnya attacked and beat a journalist and a lawyer on Tuesday, a violent incident that continued a pattern of rampant human rights abuses in the region. Novaya Gazeta journalist Elena Milashina and lawyer Alexander Nemov had just arrived in Chechnya to attend the trial of Zarema Musayeva, the mother of two local activists who have challenged Chechen authorities. Just outside the airport, their vehicle was blocked by several cars and they were beaten by several masked assailants, who put guns to their heads and broke their equipment. Novaya Gazeta

July 04, 2023
Masked assailants attack journalist and lawyer in Russia's Chechnya province
World

Outrage erupts in South Africa over video of deputy president's security officers stomping on man

A group of armed plainclothes officers assigned to protect South Africa’s deputy president were caught on video dragging a man out of a car and then stomping on his head until he lies motionless, sparking outrage and drawing more attention to the country’s problems with police brutality. The officers are part of the police security team protecting South Africa Deputy President Paul Mashatile, his office confirmed on Tuesday. There are no indications that Mashatile was present during the incident. His spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to phone calls seeking further comment. The video of the

July 04, 2023
Outrage erupts in South Africa over video of deputy president's security officers stomping on man
World

Happy with a safe pair of hands as the war drags on, NATO again extends Stoltenberg's mandate

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will stay in office for another year, the 31-nation military alliance decided on Tuesday. Stoltenberg said in a tweet that he is “honoured by NATO Allies’ decision to extend my term as Secretary General until 1 October 2024.” “The transatlantic bond between Europe and North America has ensured our freedom and security for nearly 75 years, and in a more dangerous world, our Alliance is more important than ever,” he said. Stoltenberg, a former Norwegian prime minister, has been NATO’s top civilian official since 2014. His term had been due to expire last

July 04, 2023
Happy with a safe pair of hands as the war drags on, NATO again extends Stoltenberg's mandate
World

The Taliban ban women's beauty salons in Afghanistan

The Taliban are banning women’s beauty salons in Afghanistan, a government spokesman said Tuesday. It’s the latest curb on the rights and freedoms of Afghan women and girls, following edicts barring them from education, public spaces and most forms of employment. A spokesman for the Taliban-run Virtue and Vice Ministry, Mohammad Sidik Akif Mahajar, didn’t give details of the ban. He only confirmed the contents of a letter circulating on social media. The ministry-issued letter, dated June 24, says it conveys a verbal order from the supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada. The ban targets the capital, Kabul, and

July 04, 2023
The Taliban ban women's beauty salons in Afghanistan
World

China restricts exports of high-tech metals in a slap at Washington ahead of Yellen's visit

China has imposed export curbs on two metals used in computer chips and solar cells, expanding a squabble with Washington over high-tech trade ahead of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s visit to Beijing this week. The controls on gallium and germanium are intended to “safeguard national security,” the Commerce Ministry said late Monday. It said exports will require official permission once the rules take effect Aug. 1 but did not say what restrictions might be applied. Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s government is frustrated by U.S. curbs on access to advanced processor chips and other technology on security grounds.

July 04, 2023
China restricts exports of high-tech metals in a slap at Washington ahead of Yellen's visit
World

Meta is set to take on Twitter with a rival app called Threads

Meta is poised to unveil a new app that appears to mimic Twitter in a direct challenge to the social media platform owned by Elon Musk. A listing for the app, called Threads, appeared on Apple’s App Store, indicating it would debut as early as Thursday. It is billed as a “text-based conversation app” that is linked to Instagram, according to the listing, which teased a Twitter-like microblogging experience. “Threads is where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow,” it said. Instagram users will be able

July 04, 2023
Meta is set to take on Twitter with a rival app called Threads
World

'Liberty, equality, fraternity' for all? New riots make France confront an old problem

“Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”: The lofty ideals to which France has long aspired are embossed on coins and carved above school doors across the land. Yet they are the polar opposite of what some French people who are Black or brown saw in a shocking video of a police officer shooting and killing a 17-year-old delivery driver of north African descent during a traffic stop. That kid, some said to themselves, could have been me — or my children, or my friends. Within hours, the first fires of anger and revenge were lighting up the night skies of

July 04, 2023
'Liberty, equality, fraternity' for all? New riots make France confront an old problem
World

Greek foreign minister says Athens is ready for talks with Turkey to resolve sea borders dispute

Greece is ready to start talks with Turkey to resolve a long-standing dispute over maritime borders that has repeatedly brought the two neighbors to the brink of armed conflict, Greece’s newly-appointed foreign minister said Tuesday. Giorgos Gerapetritis said the Greek government wants to “take advantage of the ongoing positive climate” in order to come to an agreement on delineating the areas in which each country has exclusive economic rights, including the right to search for offshore oil and gas. Turkey disputes areas which Greece says fall within its own economic zone and where it’s seeking to

July 04, 2023
Greek foreign minister says Athens is ready for talks with Turkey to resolve sea borders dispute
World

The leaders of the Netherlands and Luxembourg tell Kosovo and Serbia to normalize ties for EU hopes

The leaders of the Netherlands and Luxembourg on Tuesday said that normalizing ties between Kosovo and Serbia would serve not only regional peace and stability but also their prospects of future integration into the European Union. Prime Ministers Mark Rutte of the Netherlands and Xavier Bettel of Luxembourg were on a trip to Pristina after a visit to Belgrade on Monday. They both called on Kosovo and Serbia to deescalate recent tensions that have threatened to push the Balkan region into instability as Europe faces Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. “We are here to listen. And we

July 04, 2023
The leaders of the Netherlands and Luxembourg tell Kosovo and Serbia to normalize ties for EU hopes
World

Princess Kate visits Wimbledon. Rain interrupts play for the 2nd straight day

Kate, the Princess of Wales, was at a rainy Wimbledon on Tuesday and is expected to sit in the Royal Box when play begins on Centre Court. Showers interrupted play on Day 2 at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament, just like it did on the opening day. Matches began on most courts shortly after 11 a.m. at the All England Club, but the tarps came out as the rain came down about an hour later. Rain is forecast for much of the day Tuesday in southwest London. The only two courts at Wimbledon with retractable roofs,

July 04, 2023
Princess Kate visits Wimbledon. Rain interrupts play for the 2nd straight day
World

Shooting after local festival leaves three dead and eight injured in Texas, police say

Authorities in Texas say three people were killed and eight people were injured when gunfire erupted following a local festival. The shooting in Fort Worth happened Monday night in the Como neighborhood in the city’s southwest. WFAA, citing police, reports the shooting occurred just hours after the end of the neighborhood’s annual ComoFest. The report said no arrests had been made as of Tuesday morning. It was also unclear how many people may have opened fire.

July 04, 2023
Shooting after local festival leaves three dead and eight injured in Texas, police say
World

First Brexit, now Orxit? Politicians on Scotland's Orkney Islands vote to explore more autonomy

Officials on the Orkney Islands, a corner of Scotland with Viking roots and an independent spirit, seized a moment in the global spotlight on Tuesday and voted to explore ways of seeking more autonomy — or even independence — from neglectful U.K. governments. Journalists from across Britain and around the world tuned in remotely as Orkney Islands Council voted to study “alternative models of governance” for the archipelago, which has a population of 22,000. The proposal from council leader James Stockan grabbed international headlines with its mention of potentially restoring Orkney’s “Nordic connections.” Orkney was under Norwegian

July 04, 2023
First Brexit, now Orxit? Politicians on Scotland's Orkney Islands vote to explore more autonomy
World

Tijuana, reliant on the Colorado River, faces a water crisis

Luis Ramirez leapt onto the roof of his bright blue water truck to fill the plastic tank that by day’s end would empty into an assortment of buckets, barrels and cisterns in 100 homes. It was barely 11 a.m. and Ramirez had many more stops to make on the hilly, grey fringes of Tijuana, a sprawling, industrial border city in northwestern Mexico where trucks or “pipas” like Ramirez’s provide the only drinking water for many people. “Each time, it gets farther and farther where we have to go,” he said, blaming the city’s water problems on

July 04, 2023
Tijuana, reliant on the Colorado River, faces a water crisis
World

Kremlin open to talks over potential prisoner swap involving detained US reporter Evan Gershkovich

The Kremlin on Tuesday held the door open for contacts with the U.S. regarding a possible prisoner exchange that could potentially involve jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, but reaffirmed that such talks must be held out of the public eye. Asked whether Monday’s consular visits to Gershkovich, who has been held behind bars in Moscow since March on charges of espionage, and Vladimir Dunaev, a Russian citizen in U.S. custody on cybercrime charges, could potentially herald a prisoner swap, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow and Washington have touched on the issue. “We have

July 04, 2023
Kremlin open to talks over potential prisoner swap involving detained US reporter Evan Gershkovich
World

Princess Kate takes her seat in Royal Box at Wimbledon, right next to Roger Federer

Kate, the Princess of Wales, had the best seat in the house Tuesday on Centre Court at Wimbledon — in the front row of the Royal Box and right next to Roger Federer. The future queen, wearing a mint green blazer, made her way down to her seat only moments before Federer was feted ahead of the opening match on Day 2 of the grass-court tournament. Federer, an eight-time champion at the All England Club, sat between the princess and his wife, Mirka. The first match on a wet second day of Wimbledon — with the

July 04, 2023
Princess Kate takes her seat in Royal Box at Wimbledon, right next to Roger Federer
World

Roger Federer receives a lengthy standing ovation at Wimbledon from fans. And from Princess Kate

Roger Federer received a standing ovation of 1 1/2 minutes from spectators including Princess Kate as he entered the Royal Box at Centre Court on Tuesday, when he was celebrated during a brief ceremony for his career and his men’s-record eight singles championships at Wimbledon. Wearing a cream-colored suit with his purple All England Club member’s pin attached to a lapel, along with a striped shirt and polka-dot tie, the retired Federer walked to his seat and stood between his wife, Mirka, and the Princess of Wales in the special section above one of the baselines

July 04, 2023
Roger Federer receives a lengthy standing ovation at Wimbledon from fans. And from Princess Kate
World

Chanel haute couture makes a subdued ode to Parisian elegance in fall-winter collection

Models did their best to strut the cobblestoned banks of the Seine Tuesday as Chanel showed off its fall-winter collection and celebrated the soul of Paris. Here are some highlights of Tuesday’s fall couture collections, including when The Associated Press caught up with French actress Clemence Poesy. CHANEL’S PARIS “This collection is the portrait of a sensitive yet bold Parisienne,” said Virginie Viard, Chanel’s creative director. “It’s like standing on a line between strength and delicacy.” Tuesday’s assembly of tweeds, silk chiffons, organza and inlaid lace, in a myriad of floral and graphic motifs, was a testament

July 04, 2023
Chanel haute couture makes a subdued ode to Parisian elegance in fall-winter collection
World

Brazil's Neymar fined $3.3 million for illegal artificial lake at mansion outside Rio

Brazilian soccer star Neymar was fined more than $3.3 million for violating local environmental rules during renovations at his mansion in the city of Mangaratiba outside Rio de Janeiro. The Mangaratiba city hall said in a statement Monday night it had issued four fines totalling about 16 million Brazilian reals after Neymar was accused of illegally building an artificial lake at his mansion. “Among the dozens of infractions that were noticed at the player’s property are the start of an unauthorized construction which requires environmental control; capture of a river course and detouring it without authorization;

July 04, 2023
Brazil's Neymar fined $3.3 million for illegal artificial lake at mansion outside Rio
World

Ukrainians honor award-winning writer killed in Russian missile attack on restaurant

Dozens of people with flowers, many unable to hold back tears, bid farewell Tuesday to an award-winning Ukrainian writer who was among those killed by a Russian missile attack on a popular restaurant in eastern Ukraine. The memorial service for Victoria Amelina, 37, was held in the crowded main hall of Saint-Michael’s Cathedral in Kyiv, where ceremonies are usually held for soldiers who were killed on the battlefield. Amelina died in a hospital from injuries sustained in the June 27 strike on a popular restaurant frequently visited by journalists and aid workers in the city of

July 04, 2023
Ukrainians honor award-winning writer killed in Russian missile attack on restaurant
World

French court upholds freezing of assets of Lebanon's embattled central bank chief

A French court Tuesday upheld the freezing of the assets of Lebanon’s embattled central bank governor, rejecting his appeal to have them released, an official close to the investigation said. Several European countries are investigating central bank Gov. Riad Salameh and his associates over myriad alleged financial crimes, including illicit enrichment and laundering of $330 million. A French investigative judge on May 16 issued an international arrest warrant, or Interpol red notice, for the 72-year-old Salameh after he failed to show up in Paris for questioning. France, Germany and Luxembourg in March 2022 froze more than $130

July 04, 2023
French court upholds freezing of assets of Lebanon's embattled central bank chief
World

UAE announces plans to invest $54B in energy and triple renewable sources

The United Arab Emirates plans to triple its supply of renewable energy and invest up to $54 billion over the next seven years to meet its growing energy demands. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UAE’s vice president and ruler of Dubai, announced the plans on Monday following a Cabinet meeting. They also include investments in low-emission hydrogen fuel and developing infrastructure for electric vehicles. He said the updated national energy strategy “aims to triple the contribution of renewable energy over the next seven years and invest 150 billion to 200 billion dirhams

July 04, 2023
UAE announces plans to invest $54B in energy and triple renewable sources
World

Miki Sudo successfully defends hot dog-eating title; stormy weather delays men's contest

Defending champion Miki Sudo forced down 39 1/2 hot dogs and buns to claim a ninth women’s title in Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, before stormy weather moved in and delayed the men’s competition. Sudo beat Mayoi Ebihara’s 33 1/2 hot dogs in 10 minutes Tuesday in a contest that appeared to be much closer until the final count was announced. The unofficial real-time counter showed the two women tied throughout much of the competition. A final count of plates settled the score. Sudo, 37, was disappointed in her winning total, which

July 04, 2023
Miki Sudo successfully defends hot dog-eating title; stormy weather delays men's contest
World

UK mortgage rates spike to highest level since Truss tax plan spooked markets

Homeowners and renters in the U.K. faced further grim news Tuesday as mortgage rates hit levels not seen since unfunded tax cuts announced by the government last fall spooked investors. With the Bank of England raising interest rates to a 15-year high of 5% to battle high inflation, it’s natural for lenders to increase the cost of borrowing to consumers and businesses. But inflation is proving more stubborn than expected, and the bank is expected to keep hiking rates, potentially to 6%, a level not seen since 2001. That prospect is having a knock-on effect in the

July 04, 2023
UK mortgage rates spike to highest level since Truss tax plan spooked markets

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