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

World

World

India's Modi and France's Macron agree on defense ties but stand apart on Ukraine

India is close to buying new French warplanes and submarines and played a starring role in France’s Bastille Day celebrations Friday. But for all the camaraderie on display this week between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron, their two countries remain sometimes-awkward allies. Macron skirted around concerns about threats to rights and freedoms under Modi’s Hindu nationalist government. Modi called for peace efforts in Ukraine to end Russia’s war and resulting grain shortages, and India has increased imports of sanctioned Russian oil; Macron’s France is boosting weapons supplies to Ukraine for its counteroffensive.

July 14, 2023
India's Modi and France's Macron agree on defense ties but stand apart on Ukraine
World

Ionescu scores record 37 points to win 3-point contest and Aces' team takes skills competition

New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu electrified the crowd Friday by scoring a record 37 of a possible 40 points to easily win the 3-point shooting contest at the WNBA All-Star Game. She beat the Seattle Storm’s Sami Whitcomb and the Dallas Wings’ Arike Ogunbowale in the final. Whitcomb had 24 points and Ogunbowale 11. “I knew they were going in,” Ionescu said. “I was telling my agents over there, I didn’t even wait for the ball to get through the net. As soon as I shot it, it looked good and I just went down

July 14, 2023
Ionescu scores record 37 points to win 3-point contest and Aces' team takes skills competition
World

Christine King Farris, late sibling of MLK, receives rare tribute at Georgia Capitol

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock were among scores of mourners who paid tribute Friday at the Capitol to the late Christine King Farris, who was the last living sibling of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Farris’ casket lay under the building’s gold dome — an honor usually reserved for prominent political figures that has been bestowed on few African Americans. She died last month at the age of 95. Kemp said Farris was instrumental in preserving her brother’s memory, but also an influential civil rights leader herself. Farris helped Coretta Scott King

July 14, 2023
Christine King Farris, late sibling of MLK, receives rare tribute at Georgia Capitol
World

Kentucky's ban on gender-affirming care takes effect as federal judge lifts injunction

Kentucky’s ban on gender-affirming care for young transgender people was restored Friday when a federal judge lifted an injunction he issued last month that had temporarily blocked the restrictions. The latest ruling by U.S. District Judge David Hale means the Kentucky prohibition goes into effect, preventing transgender minors from accessing puberty blockers and hormone therapy. Kentucky Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who had asked that the injunction be lifted, applauded the ruling, while transgender rights advocates denounced it. “What the courts are allowing to happen to LGBTQ people right now is an American tragedy, one that

July 14, 2023
Kentucky's ban on gender-affirming care takes effect as federal judge lifts injunction
World

US to reopen review of Nevada geothermal plant near endangered toad while legal battle is on hold

In a reversal that marks a significant victory for conservationists, federal officials have decided to “revisit” the 2021 environmental review that cleared the way for construction of a geothermal power plant in Nevada where an endangered toad lives. Environmentalists and tribal leaders suing to block the project said the move will trigger an unprecedented third review of the partially built power plant that they say the Bureau of Land Management illegally approved in December 2021. “This vindicates what we’ve been saying for years,” said Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The

July 14, 2023
US to reopen review of Nevada geothermal plant near endangered toad while legal battle is on hold
World

Mexico files border boundaries complaint over Texas' floating barrier plan on Rio Grande

Mexico’s top diplomat said Friday her country has sent a diplomatic note to the U.S. government expressing concern that Texas’ deployment of floating barriers on the Rio Grande may violate 1944 and 1970 treaties on boundaries and water. Foreign Relations Secretary Alicia Bárcena said Mexico will send an inspection team to the Rio Grande to see whether any of the barrier extends into Mexico’s side of the border river. She also complained about U.S. efforts to put up barbed wire on a low-lying island in the river near Eagle Pass, Texas. Bárcena said that if the

July 14, 2023
Mexico files border boundaries complaint over Texas' floating barrier plan on Rio Grande
World

Annie Park leads the Dana Open, with US Women's Open champion Allisen Corpuz tied for second

Annie Park birdied seven of the last 10 holes Friday in the Dana Open for an 8-under 63 and a two-stroke lead over U.S. Women’s Open champion Allisen Corpuz, Linn Grant and Jaravee Boonchant. Park closed her opening nine at Highland Meadows with a birdie on No. 18 and added birdies on the first four holes on the front nine. She also birdied Nos. 7 and 8, playing her final nine in 6-under 28 to reach 11-under 131. “I just had some really good shots out there,” Park said. “Recovered well from bad shots. Overall, I played really well.” The

July 14, 2023
Annie Park leads the Dana Open, with US Women's Open champion Allisen Corpuz tied for second
World

Heat wave could break Vegas record as visitors stay inside chilled casinos and ER doctors are busy

Visitors to Las Vegas on Friday stepped out momentarily to snap photos and were hit by blast-furnace air. But most will spend their vacations in a vastly different climate — at casinos where the chilly air conditioning might require a light sweater. Meanwhile, emergency room doctors were witnessing another world, as dehydrated construction workers, passed-out elderly residents and others suffered in an intense heat wave threatening to break the city’s all-time record high of 117 degrees Fahrenheit (47.2 degrees Celsius) this weekend. Few places in the scorching Southwest demonstrate the surreal contrast between indoor and outdoor

July 14, 2023
Heat wave could break Vegas record as visitors stay inside chilled casinos and ER doctors are busy
World

Microsoft moves closer to completing $69 billion Activision takeover after court rebuffs regulators

A U.S. appeals court on Friday rejected a bid by federal regulators to block Microsoft from closing its $68.7 billion deal to buy video game maker Activision Blizzard, paving the way for the completion of the biggest acquisition in tech history after a legal battle over whether it will undermine competition. In a brief ruling, a three-judge panel on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals concluded there were no grounds for issuing an order that would have prevented Microsoft from completing its nearly 18-month-old deal to take over the maker of popular video games such as Call of Duty.

July 14, 2023
Microsoft moves closer to completing $69 billion Activision takeover after court rebuffs regulators
World

Bo Naylor, Josh Naylor become first brothers to hit multi-run homers in same inning for same team

Bo and Josh Naylor of the Cleveland Guardians became the first brothers major league history to hit multi-run homers in the same inning for the same team when each hit a two-run shot during the third inning at Texas on Friday night. Bo Naylor hit a 1-0 changeup from Rangers starter Jon Gray an estimated 435 feet to right field at Globe Life Park with no outs in the third. Four batters later, Josh hit a 3-1 slider from Gray down the right-field line and it barely stayed fair to make it 4-0. The last brothers

July 15, 2023
Bo Naylor, Josh Naylor become first brothers to hit multi-run homers in same inning for same team
World

Corbin Burnes overcomes heat scare to fan 13 in the Brewers' 1-0 victory over the Reds

Corbin Burnes struck out the side in the sixth inning after nearly collapsing in the fifth in oppressive humidity, Victor Caratini singled in a run in the seventh and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Cincinnati Reds 1-0 on Friday night. After his 10th strikeout, Burnes squatted behind the mound with his head lowered as teammates and trainers rushed over. “He just got light-headed, essentially,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “The trainers don’t think it was a hydration issue. Just like you lift something heavy and get a little light-headed from that. He just needed a minute to

July 15, 2023
Corbin Burnes overcomes heat scare to fan 13 in the Brewers' 1-0 victory over the Reds
World

Vermont starts long road to recovery from historic floods, helped by army of volunteers

The Marshfield Village Store, which sits at the junction of two country highways in a tiny Vermont town, has become a little bit of everything in recent days as residents struggle to recover from historic floods that battered the state. First the shop in Marshfield, about 45 miles (70 kilometers) east of the state’s biggest city, Burlington, served as a shelter for about three dozen people. By Friday it was a distribution center for much-needed fresh water and a go-to for supplies. “We’re about to start putting it out more formally, if there are other folks who haven’t been able

July 15, 2023
Vermont starts long road to recovery from historic floods, helped by army of volunteers
World

Shohei Ohtani allows 4 earned runs, takes the loss in the Astros' 7-5 win over the spiraling Angels

Shohei Ohtani left the mound with finger pain for his third straight start Friday night. With his Los Angeles Angels in freefall and his future uncertain before the trade deadline, the two-way superstar is struggling against a host of challenges even more daunting than the blister and cracked fingernail that are preventing him from pitching at his unique peak. Ohtani allowed four earned runs on five hits and left the mound in the sixth inning shortly before Mauricio Dubon’s tiebreaking two-run single in the Houston Astros’ 7-5 victory over the Angels. Ohtani (7-5) was pulled after

July 15, 2023
Shohei Ohtani allows 4 earned runs, takes the loss in the Astros' 7-5 win over the spiraling Angels
World

Mega Millions jackpot grows to $640 million, among highest in lottery game’s history

The Mega Millions top prize has grown again to an estimated $640 million after there was no winner of the lottery’s latest giant jackpot. The numbers drawn late Friday night were: 10, 24, 48, 51, 66 and gold Mega Ball 15. The estimated $640 million jackpot in the next drawing would only be distributed to a winner who chooses an annuity paid over 29 years. Nearly all grand prize winners opt to take a cash payout, which for Tuesday night’s drawing is an estimated $328 million. Despite the game’s long odds of 1 in 302.6 million, players continue to purchase

July 15, 2023
Mega Millions jackpot grows to $640 million, among highest in lottery game’s history
World

Long Island serial killer probe not over after architect is charged in 3 of 11 deaths

Authorities on Long Island are vowing to continue investigating a string of killings known as the Gilgo Beach murders after charging an architect in the deaths of three of the 11 victims. Rex Heuermann, 59, is accused of killing Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello over a decade ago. He is also considered the prime suspect in the death of another woman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes. Their bodies were bound and hidden in thick underbrush along a remote beach highway across the bay from the Massapequa Park community where Heuermann has lived all his life. Investigators have

July 15, 2023
Long Island serial killer probe not over after architect is charged in 3 of 11 deaths
World

A new bar in Dubai is offering 'gourmet water' infused with minerals to 'suit your mood'

First, it was the banana-randomberry-wheat grass smoothies. Then the cold brew, triple-shot, something-milk lattes, the German-word craft beers, the small-batch, barrel-aged Prohibition cocktails. Now a new bar in Dubai, the Middle Eastern hub of all things cutting-edge, is serving “gourmet water.” Thirty varieties of it. The Aqua Water Bar by Luqel harvests its water the old-fashioned way — from the faucet. The government says tap water is safe to drink and meets international standards, though many Dubai residents prefer bottled water. Then they use a micro-dosing system designed by the German water filtration company

July 15, 2023
A new bar in Dubai is offering 'gourmet water' infused with minerals to 'suit your mood'
World

Ons Jabeur plays Marketa Vondrousova in the Wimbledon women's final

Ons Jabeur or Marketa Vondrousova will become a first-time Grand Slam champion when they play each other in the Wimbledon women’s final. They go into Saturday’s title match with a combined record of 0-3 in major finals. The No. 6-seeded Jabeur, a 28-year-old from Tunisia, was the runner-up at the All England Club and at the U.S. Open last season. She is the only Arab woman or North African woman to participate in a Grand Slam singles final. The unseeded Vondrousova, a 24-year-old from the Czech Republic, lost in the 2019 French Open final as a

July 15, 2023
Ons Jabeur plays Marketa Vondrousova in the Wimbledon women's final
World

Torrential rains in South Korea kill at least 7 in landslides and floods

Two days of heavy rain in South Korea killed at least seven people and left two others missing in landslides and floods, the government said Saturday. Additionally, eight people were trapped following landslides in central areas earlier in the day. Three people were killed Saturday after landslides caused by torrential downpours buried their houses in two central towns, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said in a report. It said two other people were also found dead elsewhere Saturday in landslide-related accidents, and two other people died in a building collapse caused by landslides

July 15, 2023
Torrential rains in South Korea kill at least 7 in landslides and floods
World

Why allowing Ukraine to ship grain during Russia's war matters to the world

Agreements that the United Nations and Turkey brokered with Ukraine and Russia to allow food and fertilizer to get from the warring nations to parts of the world where millions are going hungry have eased concerns over global food security. But they face increasing risks. Moscow has ramped up its rhetoric, saying it may not extend the deal that expires Monday unless its demands are met, including ensuring its own agricultural shipments don’t face hurdles. The Black Sea Grain Initiative has allowed 32.8 million metric tons (36.2 million tons) of food to be exported from Ukraine since

July 15, 2023
Why allowing Ukraine to ship grain during Russia's war matters to the world
World

Officer killed and 2 police injured in shooting that also left suspect dead on a North Dakota street

One police officer died and two others were critically injured after a suspect began shooting on a busy street in Fargo, North Dakota, on Friday afternoon, police said. Officers returning fire killed the suspect during the shooting that occurred before 3 p.m. A civilian also was seriously wounded, police said in a late-night statement that provided no details on a possible motive. The Fargo Police Department said the investigation is ongoing and withheld the identities of the officers and the suspect pending notification of their families. North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley said the state Bureau

July 15, 2023
Officer killed and 2 police injured in shooting that also left suspect dead on a North Dakota street
World

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol makes surprise visit to Ukraine

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol made a surprise visit to Ukraine on Saturday, offering an apparent show of support for the country in its war with Russia. Yoon’s office said he traveled to Ukraine with his wife, Kim Keon Hee, following trips to Lithuania for a NATO summit and to Poland. It’s his first visit since Russia invaded Ukraine almost 17 months ago. Yoon toured Bucha and Irpin, a pair of small cities near Kyiv where bodies of civilians were found in the streets and mass graves after Russian troops retreated from the capital region

July 15, 2023
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol makes surprise visit to Ukraine
World

Hundreds of flights across Italy are canceled amid air transport strike at peak of tourism season

Hundreds of flights across Italy were canceled Saturday, forcing travelers at the peak of tourist season to make alternate plans, after air transport unions went ahead with a planned work stoppage two days following a train strike that paralyzed rail service. Summertime in Italy is often the peak season for transport strikes, stranding commuters and tourists alike as unions press demands for better work contracts and conditions. This year, the strikes are taking their toll amid a tourism boom following two years of pandemic losses. National carrier ITA said it canceled 133 flights, most of them domestic

July 15, 2023
Hundreds of flights across Italy are canceled amid air transport strike at peak of tourism season
World

Carlos Alcaraz will face Novak Djokovic in a Wimbledon men's final for the ages

Novak Djokovic paid quite a compliment to Carlos Alcaraz. Before they’ll face each other in the Wimbledon final on Sunday, Djokovic was asked to size up Alcaraz — and he compared the kid to himself. Pretty good company. “He’s been incredibly successful in adapting to the surfaces and (to the) demands and challenges of opponents on a given day,” Djokovic said. “I see this as a great trait, as a great virtue. I see this as one of my biggest strengths throughout my career, that I was able to constantly develop, adapt and adjust my game,

July 15, 2023
Carlos Alcaraz will face Novak Djokovic in a Wimbledon men's final for the ages
World

American boat patrols waters around new offshore wind farms to protect jobs

One early morning this week in ocean waters off the coasts of Rhode Island and New York, signs of the nascent wind industry were all around. Giant upright steel tubes poked from the water, waiting for ships to hoist up turbines that will make electricity driven by wind. A battleship-gray vessel was on the prowl. In this ramp-up for U.S. offshore wind, American marine companies and mariners fear they’ll be left behind. So Aaron Smith, president of the Offshore Marine Service Association, was looking through binoculars to see whether ships servicing the new wind farms

July 15, 2023
American boat patrols waters around new offshore wind farms to protect jobs
World

2,000 evacuated in La Palma wildfire in Spain's Canary Islands; official says blaze 'out of control'

More than 2,000 people were evacuated as a wildfire rages “out of control” on La Palma in Spain’s Canary Islands on Saturday, destroying around a dozen homes, authorities said. The blaze has affected an area of about 4,500 hectares (11,000 acres) and officials warned residents that the situation could worsen because a heat wave has made the terrain tinder-dry. “The fire has spread very fast,” Canary Islands regional president Fernando Clavijo said. “The fire is out of control.” He said that some residents didn’t want to abandon their homes, and he appealed for people to be

July 15, 2023
2,000 evacuated in La Palma wildfire in Spain's Canary Islands; official says blaze 'out of control'

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