Today: September 25, 2024
Today: September 25, 2024

World

World

At least 1 killed as elevated road collapses in Bangkok

At least one person was killed after an elevated road being built in Thailand’s capital collapsed, and two others were listed as missing, with rescue crews unable to access the site Tuesday for fear of a further collapse, authorities said. Another 12 people were injured in the accident on Monday, according to the department of disaster prevention and mitigation. It was not immediately clear what caused the collapse of the road on the west side of Bangkok, but Governor Chadchart Sittipan said it had been severely damaged and remained inaccessible. The body of the one confirmed fatality

July 11, 2023
At least 1 killed as elevated road collapses in Bangkok
World

UN warns its development goals for 2030 are in trouble and 575 million people will remain very poor

In a grim report, the U.N. warned Monday that at the current rate of global progress 575 million people will still be living in extreme poverty and 84 million children won’t be going to school in 2030 – and it will take 286 years to reach equality between men and women. The report on progress in achieving 17 wide-ranging U.N. goals adopted by world leaders in 2015 to improve life for the world’s more than 7 billion people said that only 15% of some 140 specific targets that experts evaluated are on track to be reached

July 11, 2023
UN warns its development goals for 2030 are in trouble and 575 million people will remain very poor
World

With player stylists and Gucci collabs, MLB eyes a fresh look with younger fans

Major League Baseball’s quest for the crown of cool will be on display Tuesday when its top players strut down a red carpet show at Seattle’s famous Pike Place Market ahead of the All-Star Game. The fan-friendly event is as much an homage to baseball’s iconic place in street style — from the game’s signature caps and jerseys to the classic tees — as it is an indication that MLB is increasingly staking its claim on fashion as an entry to new audiences and pop culture reverence. “MLB gave me a stylist for this game,” said Corbin

July 11, 2023
With player stylists and Gucci collabs, MLB eyes a fresh look with younger fans
World

In US Southwest, residents used to scorching summers are still sweating out extreme heat wave

Even Southwestern desert residents accustomed to scorching summers are feeling the grip of an extreme heat wave smacking Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Southern California this week with 100-degree-plus temps and excessive heat warnings. To add insult to injury, the region has been left high and dry with no monsoon activity, which can help offset the blazing temperatures. In Arizona, the monsoon season officially begins June 15 and can bring powerful storms with high winds, lightning and heavy bursts of rain. In Phoenix, Martin Brown and his black Labrador, Sammy, escaped the heat Monday in the lobby

July 11, 2023
In US Southwest, residents used to scorching summers are still sweating out extreme heat wave
World

Israelis block highways in nationwide protests over government's plan to overhaul judiciary

Israeli protesters blocked highways leading to Jerusalem, Haifa and Tel Aviv at the start of countrywide demonstrations Tuesday against the government’s planned judicial overhaul that has divided the nation. The demonstrations came the morning after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s parliamentary coalition gave initial approval to a bill to limit the Supreme Court’s oversight powers, pressing forward with contentious proposed changes to the judiciary despite widespread opposition. The legislation is one of several bills proposed by Netanyahu’s ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox allies. The plan has provoked months of sustained protests by opponents who say it is pushing the country

July 11, 2023
Israelis block highways in nationwide protests over government's plan to overhaul judiciary
World

Helicopter with 6 on board including foreign tourists is missing near Mount Everest in Nepal

A helicopter carrying foreign tourists went missing Tuesday in the Mount Everest area of Nepal and contact was lost with the aircraft. The helicopter was returning to the capital Kathmandu on Tuesday morning after bringing the five tourists on a sightseeing trip to the world’s highest peak. A search effort was underway involving another helicopter in the skies and police and soldiers on the ground. Much of the mountainous area is only accessible on foot with no roads. Airport official Sagar Kadel said weather conditions had caused changes to be made to the helicopter’s planned flight

July 11, 2023
Helicopter with 6 on board including foreign tourists is missing near Mount Everest in Nepal
World

Sweden's rocky road from neutrality toward NATO membership

When long-neutral Sweden applied for NATO membership together with Finland, both expected a quick accession process. More than a year later, Finland is in, but Sweden is still in the alliance’s waiting room. New entries must be approved by all existing members and as NATO leaders meet for a summit in Vilnius, Sweden is missing the green light from two: Turkey and Hungary. A major obstacle was overcome Monday when Turkey’s president agreed to send NATO’s accession documents to the Turkish Parliament for approval, something he had refused to do for more than a year. That

July 11, 2023
Sweden's rocky road from neutrality toward NATO membership
World

German businessman's dismembered body found in Thailand freezer with chainsaw and hedge clippers

The dismembered body of a missing German businessman was found in a freezer inside a house in southern Thailand, police said Tuesday. Tawee Kudthalaeng, the police chief in the town of Nong Prue, said the body of 62-year-old Hans-Peter Mack was discovered at about 11 p.m. Monday. Mack had been missing for a week. Investigators located his body by using security camera footage from the area, Tawee said. He did not elaborate, but photos and video published by Thai media showed the freezer in the bed of a black truck with a man squatting next to it.

July 11, 2023
German businessman's dismembered body found in Thailand freezer with chainsaw and hedge clippers
World

World Cup showcases inequity within the women's game

As the Women’s World Cup approached, Jamaican players started to panic. They were uncertain about training camps, accommodations and even pay heading into what for many would be the biggest tournament of their careers. So they took to social media. A number of the Reggae Girlz, as they are affectionately known, went public with their concerns, pleading with the Jamaican Football Federation to address “subpar” conditions. The mother of one player took it a step further: She started a GoFundMe page to raise money to make sure the team and the support staff is provided what they need to be

July 11, 2023
World Cup showcases inequity within the women's game
World

For first time, every player at the Women's World Cup will be paid at least $30K

A group of players across the globe asked FIFA late last year to increase the prize money for this summer’s Women’s World Cup. There had been pleas from the women to boost those funds before, but this time it was different. The players not only wanted a prize pool equal with the men’s World Cup, they also sought a guarantee that a percentage of the prize money would go directly to the players themselves. While it wasn’t true equity with the men’s World Cup, FIFA indeed raised the prize pool for the women’s tournament by more than three times that

July 11, 2023
For first time, every player at the Women's World Cup will be paid at least $30K
World

Stock market today: Asian shares rise ahead of a US inflation update on hopes for easing rate hikes

Asian stock markets followed Wall Street higher Tuesday ahead of an update on U.S. consumer prices that traders hope will show inflation is easing, reducing the need for more interest rate hikes. Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Sydney advanced. Oil prices rose. Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index gained 0.2% on Monday following its second weekly decline in two months. Traders looked ahead to Wednesday’s update on U.S. consumer prices for signs of whether the Federal Reserve might decide inflation has cooled enough following a year of interest rate hikes. They hope the U.S. central bank will

July 11, 2023
Stock market today: Asian shares rise ahead of a US inflation update on hopes for easing rate hikes
World

UK wages are rising at a record pace. That makes higher interest rates more likely

Wages in the U.K. are rising at a record high rate amid stubbornly high inflation, official figures showed Tuesday, bolstering expectations that interest rates will increase again — to the worry of homeowners who are seeing their mortgage payments spike. The Office for National Statistics said wages, excluding bonuses, rose by 7.3% in the three months to May, matching the highest rate since records began in 2001. The private sector was the main driver behind the increase. For months, workers have been seeking pay that keeps pace with high inflation, which is running at 8.7% despite declines

July 11, 2023
UK wages are rising at a record pace. That makes higher interest rates more likely
World

China signs pact with Solomon Islands to boost cooperation on 'law enforcement and security matters'

The Solomon Islands has signed an agreement to boost cooperation with China on “law enforcement and security matters,” in a move likely to raise concerns among the South Pacific island’s traditional partners including Australia, New Zealand and the United States. The agreement, details of which were not immediately released, was contained in a joint statement made public Tuesday following a meeting Monday in Beijing between Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Solomons Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare. As part of efforts to build a “comprehensive strategic partnership” the sides agreed to: “Enhance cooperation on law enforcement and security matters.

July 11, 2023
China signs pact with Solomon Islands to boost cooperation on 'law enforcement and security matters'
World

Thousands gather in Bosnia and commemorate the 1995 Srebrenica massacre anniversary

Thousands of people from around Bosnia and abroad gathered in Srebrenica on Tuesday for the annual ritual of commemorating the 1995 massacre in the eastern town and to give a dignified burial to the victims unearthed from mass graves and only recently identified through DNA analysis. Twenty-eight years after they were brutally murdered in Europe’s only acknowledged genocide since the Holocaust, 27 men and three teenage boys will be laid to rest Tuesday at a vast and ever-expanding memorial cemetery just outside Srebrenica, joining more than 6,600 massacre victims already reburied there. Relatives of the victims

July 11, 2023
Thousands gather in Bosnia and commemorate the 1995 Srebrenica massacre anniversary
World

Olympic champion Caster Semenya wins appeal against testosterone rules at human rights court

Double Olympic champion runner Caster Semenya won an appeal against track and field’s testosterone rules on Tuesday when the European Court of Human Rights ruled she had been discriminated against. The ruling could force sport’s highest court to re-examine the regulations that force Semenya and other female athletes to artificially reduce naturally high testosterone levels in order to compete at top meets such as the Olympics and world champinships. The Strasbourg-based rights court ruled in Semenya’s favor by a 4-3 majority of judges. The court also ruled the South African runner was denied an “effective remedy” against that discrimination when

July 11, 2023
Olympic champion Caster Semenya wins appeal against testosterone rules at human rights court
World

Taiwan's #MeToo movement is making a resurgence as accusations hit politics, TV and schools

Taiwan is facing a long-delayed reckoning with sexual harassment and sexual violence. In the past month, people have stepped forward with accusations, one after the other, leading to criminal investigations, resignations at different levels of government, and a society-wide discussion of the unspoken rules that govern gender norms in society. Taiwan’s #MeToo movement, which had a brief wave of accusations in 2017 as the #MeToo movement swept the globe, reignited on May 31 when a woman named Chen Chien-jou who worked for the Democratic Progressive Party, the party in power, accused film director Hsueh Chao-hui of

July 11, 2023
Taiwan's #MeToo movement is making a resurgence as accusations hit politics, TV and schools
World

Live Updates | Lithuania and allies beef up security for NATO summit

Follow along for updates on the summit of the NATO military alliance in Lithuania’s capital: What to know: — Turkey’s decision to end opposition to Sweden’s NATO membership boosts summit — Sweden’s rocky road from neutrality toward NATO membership — What is NATO doing to help Ukraine in the war with Russia? — Ukraine, defense plans and Sweden’s membership top summit agenda —— Lithuania and several of its allies have beefed up security for the NATO summit, with as many as 12,000 troops backed by warships, air defense systems and artillery deployed for the two-day meeting.

July 11, 2023
Live Updates | Lithuania and allies beef up security for NATO summit
World

Israeli authorities evict Palestinian family from Jerusalem home after decades-long legal battle

Israeli authorities on Tuesday evicted a Palestinian family from their contested apartment in Jerusalem’s Old City, the family said, capping a decades-long legal battle that has come to symbolize conflicting claims to the holy city. Activists say the Ghaith-Sub Laban family’s eviction is part of a wider trend of Israeli settlers, backed by the government, encroaching on Palestinian neighborhoods and cementing Israeli control by seizing property in east Jerusalem. Israel describes it as a simple battle over real estate, with settlers claiming the family are squatters in an apartment formerly owned by Jews. Earlier this year, Israel’s

July 11, 2023
Israeli authorities evict Palestinian family from Jerusalem home after decades-long legal battle
World

Tourists are told to stay away from an erupting volcano in Iceland because of poisonous gases

Authorities in Iceland on Tuesday warned tourists and other spectators to stay away from a newly erupting volcano that is spewing lava and noxious gases from a fissure in the country’s southwest. The eruption began Monday afternoon after thousands of earthquakes in the area, meteorological authorities said. This one comes 11 months after its last eruption officially ended. The eruption is in an uninhabited valley near the Litli-Hrútur mountain, some 30 kilometers (19 miles) southwest of the capital, Reykjavik. The area, known broadly as Fagradalsfjall volcano, erupted in 2021 and 2022 without causing damage or disruptions

July 11, 2023
Tourists are told to stay away from an erupting volcano in Iceland because of poisonous gases
World

China says its foreign minister is ill. A senior diplomat will take his place at ASEAN

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang is unwell and the country’s senior diplomat will take his place at a two-day summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations this week in Jakarta, Indonesia, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin gave no details of what was ailing Qin, who has not been seen in public in more than two weeks. “State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang is unable to attend this series of foreign ministers’ meetings due to health reasons,” Wang said at a daily briefing Tuesday. Wang Yi, a former foreign minister and

July 11, 2023
China says its foreign minister is ill. A senior diplomat will take his place at ASEAN
World

Thailand's prime minister, who seized power in a 2014 coup, quits politics after losing election

Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who served almost nine years in office after seizing power in a 2014 military coup, said Tuesday that he is leaving politics. His announcement came after the political party for which he served as a prime minister candidate this year finished fifth in May’s general election, capturing just 36 seats in the 500-member House of Representatives. Prayuth, 69, a former army commander, made the announcement on the Facebook page of Ruam Thai Sang Chart, or the United Thai Nation Party. He had been their nominee to return as prime minister. “I would

July 11, 2023
Thailand's prime minister, who seized power in a 2014 coup, quits politics after losing election
World

German opposition leader takes aim at migration, but largely rules out working with far right

Germany’s conservative opposition leader said Tuesday that large-scale migration is one of the country’s biggest problems and the main reason for a recent surge in support for the far right. But Friedrich Merz ruled out cooperating at the state or national level with the Alternative for Germany party that has overtaken his center-right Christian Democratic Union in polls for three state elections in the east next year — to the alarm of mainstream politicians. One senior security official of Jewish origin told The Associated Press that he would leave the country if the far-right party, known by

July 11, 2023
German opposition leader takes aim at migration, but largely rules out working with far right
World

Bank of America to pay more than $100M for doubling fees, opening accounts without customer consent

Bank of America must pay more than $100 million to customers for doubling up on some fees, withholding reward bonuses and opening accounts without customer consent. Bank of America will pay $90 million in penalties to its organization and $60 million in penalties to the OCC, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Tuesday. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency found the bank’s double-dipping on fees was illegal. Bank of America, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, serves 68 million people and small business clients. The bank had $2.4 trillion in consolidated assets and $1.9 trillion in domestic deposits as

July 11, 2023
Bank of America to pay more than $100M for doubling fees, opening accounts without customer consent
World

Japan's top court says government restrictions on transgender employee's use of restrooms illegal

Japan’s Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that restrictions imposed by a government ministry on a transgender female employee’s use of restrooms at her workplace are illegal, in a landmark decision that could promote LGBTQ+ rights in a country without legal protections for them. It was the court’s first ruling on the working environment for LGBTQ+ individuals. The judges said in a unanimous ruling that the Economy and Trade Ministry’s restrictions, which forced the plaintiff to use either a nearby men’s room or women’s restrooms that were at least two floors away, were “extremely inappropriate.” It said the approval

July 11, 2023
Japan's top court says government restrictions on transgender employee's use of restrooms illegal
World

Ousting Norman, giving Woods and McIlroy LIV teams were discussed with PGA Tour, documents show

The negotiators of a business deal between the PGA Tour and the Saudi funders of LIV Golf discussed ousting LIV chief executive Greg Norman and giving Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy their own LIV teams, according to documents obtained by Congress. Those were among the many proposals to unify golf’s rival factions that representatives of the PGA Tour and the Saudi government discussed during their hasty negotiations this spring. The talks culminated in a framework agreement announced last month between the tour and Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. The deal to bring Saudi investment into the PGA

July 11, 2023
Ousting Norman, giving Woods and McIlroy LIV teams were discussed with PGA Tour, documents show

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