General news

• US-Saudi talks amid reports of far-reaching diplomatic plan for Middle East

  27-07-2023 23:53
  
  But Jeddah’s demands for brokering an Israeli-Palestinian respite are reportedly a ‘non-starter’ and a ‘sucker’s bet’The US national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, has held talks with the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, in Jeddah, in what was reported to be part of a bid for an ambitious and far-reaching diplomatic breakthrough in the region.The White House said Sullivan and the prince discussed on Thursday “initiatives to advance a common vis
  
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• India LGBT couples: 'My parents were ready to kill me for their honour'

  27-07-2023 23:37 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Indians from the LGBT community still face discrimination and violence, sometimes from their own families.
  
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• Women's World Cup: Steel Roses outkick men in Chinese football

  27-07-2023 23:32 via bbc.co.uk
  
  China's women's national team is a source of pride under a system that lavishes resources on men.
  
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• Sierra Leone vows to ramp up anti-piracy efforts after Chinese ship hijacked

  27-07-2023 23:26 via foxnews.com
  
  Sierra Leone said Thursday it is working with neighboring countries to step up the fight against piracy in the Gulf of Guinea after a Chinese fishing vessel was hijacked in its waters earlier this week. The area off the coast of West Africa is one of the world’s most dangerous places for attacks on ships. Twenty-three crew members on board Shenghai-2, including six Chinese nationals, were rescued a day after the hijacking on Sunday. The ship was sailing with another fishing vessel, Aliman,
  
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• Biden administration ramps up deportations

  27-07-2023 23:05
  
  ICE Air, a program that charters multiple planes each week from several states, sends migrants back to their home countries.
  
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• Changing Meta’s algorithms did not help US political polarization, study finds

  27-07-2023 23:00
  
  Study of Facebook and Instagram data from 2020 election shows chronological lists had no measurable impact on polarizationThe powerful algorithms used by Facebook and Instagram have increasingly been blamed for amplifying misinformation and political polarization. But a series of groundbreaking studies published on Thursday suggest addressing these challenges will require more than just tweaking the platforms’ software.The four research papers, published in Science and Nature also reveal t
  
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• LeBron James' son Bronny released from hospital after sudden cardiac arrest

  27-07-2023 22:29
  
  Bronny James, the son of NBA legend LeBron James, has been released from the hospital after he suffered cardiac arrest on the basketball floor, officials said Thursday.
  
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• Former British rap artist and alleged jihadist Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary found dead in Spanish prison

  27-07-2023 22:04 via foxnews.com
  
  A former British rap artist and alleged jihadist has died in custody in Spain, the Interior Ministry said Thursday. Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary was found dead in a Spanish prison Wednesday, the ministry said. The cause of death is yet to be confirmed. Abdel Bary was arrested in 2020, accused of heading a jihadist terror cell. He was facing up to 9 years in prison. A trial was set for sentencing July 14 and he was awaiting verdict. Abdel Bary, 32, left London in 2013 to join an Al Qaeda faction and la
  
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• Explosive detonates near Shiite shrine in Damascus suburb ahead of Ashura holy day, several casualties

  27-07-2023 21:55 via foxnews.com
  
  An explosive planted in a taxi Thursday detonated in a Damascus suburb near a Shiite Muslim shrine, one day before the solemn holy day of Ashura, and there were reports of several casualties. State-run Al-Ikhbariya TV said there were reports of injuries in the explosion that rocked the Sayida Zeinab suburb, but it did not elaborate. The Britain-based opposition war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 10 people were killed or wounded in the explosion. The Observatory said a
  
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• Russia-Ukraine war: Ukrainian forces say they have recaptured frontline village after Putin says attacks have intensified – as it happened

  27-07-2023 21:50
  
  Zelenskiy posts video showing soldiers in village of Staromaiorske; Russian president says attacks have increased primarily on frontline in Zaporizhzhia Russia-Ukraine war at a glancePavlo Kyrylenko, Ukraine’s governor of Donetsk, has given civilian casualtiy figures in the Ukraine-controlled portion of the region. On Telegram he stated that in the last 24 hours one person was killed and nine injured.The claims have not been independently verified.The losses from Ukraine’s much vaunt
  
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• UK rapper turned Islamic State fighter dies in Spanish jail

  27-07-2023 21:35
  
  Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary had been on trial in Madrid and was awaiting the verdictA man from London who was stripped of his British nationality over his links to Islamic State has died in custody in Spain.Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary, a former rapper who allegedly posed for photographs holding a severed head, was found dead in a Spanish prison on Wednesday, the interior ministry said. The cause of death is unconfirmed. Continue reading...
  
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• Niger coup makes the troubled Sahel region yet more fragile

  27-07-2023 21:29 via bbc.co.uk
  
  One of the few democracies left in the Sahel, Niger now faces military rule just like its neighbours.
  
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• China's video game player population hits record 668M amid market recovery

  27-07-2023 21:22 via foxnews.com
  
  China's video game player population has grown to a record of 668 million, a government-run game industry association said on Thursday, as the world's biggest gaming market returns to growth after a bruising crackdown. The number of gamers, which is accurate as of end-June, represents about half of the population. Industry association CGIGC, which announced the data at an industry conference in Shanghai, also said sales revenue of the domestic gaming market reached $20.23 billion for the first h
  
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• TikTok won't launch cross-border e-commerce services in Indonesia amid concerns

  27-07-2023 21:19 via foxnews.com
  
  TikTok said it has no plans to roll out a cross-border business in Indonesia as a government minister on Thursday expressed concerns over how reported plans for a new e-commerce push by the firm could flood the country with Chinese products. The short video app, owned by China's ByteDance, has been working on a program to help Chinese merchants sell goods globally, which it has been trialing in the UK and plans to officially roll out to consumers in the United States next month, Reuters reported
  
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• Kuwait executes 5, including perpetrator of 2015 mosque bombing claimed by Islamic State

  27-07-2023 21:16 via foxnews.com
  
  Kuwait said Thursday it executed five prisoners, including an inmate convicted over the bombing of a Shiite mosque in 2015 that killed 27 people and was claimed by the Islamic State group. The inmates were hanged at the Central Prison, Kuwait's Public Prosecution said in a statement. Prosecutors said the five include the man convicted in the mosque attack, Abdulrahman Sabah Idan, three people convicted of murder and a convicted drug dealer from Sri Lanka. One of the convicted murderers was Egypt
  
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• El Salvador passes new rules allowing mass trials for accused gang members in crackdown effort

  27-07-2023 21:14 via foxnews.com
  
  New rules passed by El Salvador’s congress Wednesday will allow courts to try accused gang members in mass trials, in an effort to expedite tens of thousands of cases for those detained under the country’s crackdown on street gangs. The changes to the country’s criminal code are just the latest in President Nayib Bukele’s war on the Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gangs, which began last year when the leader declared a "state of emergency" in response to a wave of
  
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• North Korea opens exhibit celebrating romantic visions of Kim Jong Un for anniversary

  27-07-2023 21:06 via foxnews.com
  
  A North Korean art exhibit unveiled the first paintings of the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, a vital step in promoting his "cult of personality" in the country.  Each piece displays some outlandish or overly romantic vision of the country’s supreme leaders engaged in activities from glad-handing with farmers to riding a horse atop Mount Paektu, the tallest peak in North Korea.  The paintings debuted as part of a wider exhibit celebrating the 70th anniversary of the "victor
  
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• China helps Russia evade sanctions and likelymost supplies tech used in Ukraine, U.S. report says

  27-07-2023 20:52
  
  China is helping Russia evade Western sanctions and is probably supplying the Kremlin with key technology used in its Ukraine war, says a new U.S. intelligence report.
  
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• Why July is the 'world's hottest month'... in 61 seconds

  27-07-2023 20:49 via bbc.co.uk
  
  With July "virtually certain" to be the warmest month on record, BBC Weather has this analysis.
  
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• Body found near Switzerland's Matterhorn identified as German hiker missing since 1986

  27-07-2023 20:35 via foxnews.com
  
  DNA tests have confirmed that the body recently found on a glacier southeast of the famed Matterhorn peak is that of a German mountaineer who disappeared 37 years ago, police in southwestern Switzerland said Thursday. BODY OF MISSING 80-YEAR-OLD WASHINGTON CLIMBER FOUND IN CREVASSE ON MOUNT RAINIER Increasing glacier melt, which many scientists blame on global warming, has spurred a recent increase in discoveries of the remains of hikers, skiers and other Alpinists who went missing decades ago.
  
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• Nigerian president reveals Cabinet nominees 2 months after taking office

  27-07-2023 20:31 via foxnews.com
  
  Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu on Thursday forwarded 28 ministerial nominees to federal legislators for confirmation as he seeks to finally set up his Cabinet to lead Africa's most populous country. The long-awaited list featuring six women was presented to the Nigerian Senate by Tinubu’s chief of staff Femi Gbajabiamila, a day before the deadline and nearly two months after the Nigerian leader took office. On the list with no assigned portfolios are four former governors and three
  
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• Russian helicopter crashes in Siberia, killing 4 people on board and injuring 10

  27-07-2023 20:28 via foxnews.com
  
  A helicopter crashed in the Siberia region of Russia on Thursday, killing four of the people on board and injuring 10, Russian emergency officials reported. The Mi-8 helicopter caught fire as it was landing in southern Siberia's Altai Republic and brushed against a power line, the Altai branch of the Russian Emergency Ministry said. It released a photo showing the chopper’s wreckage. The branch's initial statement said the helicopter carried 13 people and six were killed and seven were inj
  
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• Notorious British ISIS suspect found dead in Spanish prison

  27-07-2023 20:27
  
  A former British rap artist and alleged jihadist has died in custody in Spain, the Interior Ministry said Thursday.
  
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• Tragedy in the Philippines: 21 dead as passenger boat capsizes in Laguna Lake amidst fierce winds

  27-07-2023 20:25 via foxnews.com
  
  At least 21 people died and 40 others were rescued after a Philippine passenger boat overturned on Thursday when it was lashed by strong winds in Laguna Lake southeast of Manila, police said. Police said rescue operations were continuing, but did not immediately provide figures for the total number of people on board the MBCA Princess Aya that capsized in Rizal province. The incident happened as the passengers onboard suddenly moved to one side of the boat in panic when it came under fierce wind
  
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• Biden announces actions to help protect workers affected by extreme heat

  27-07-2023 20:15
  
  President Biden announced new plans to protect workers and communities from extreme heat as millions of people in the U.S. broil in record-high temperatures.
  
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• Swedish PM ‘extremely worried’ as more apply to burn Qur’an

  27-07-2023 20:14
  
  Ulf Kristersson says ‘there is a clear risk of something serious happening’ amid growing Muslim anger at the attacks on Islam’s holy bookThe Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, has said that he is “extremely worried” about the consequences if more demonstrations go ahead in which the Qur’an is desecrated, amid growing Muslim anger at a series of attacks on Islam’s holy book.Attacks on the Qur’an in Sweden and Denmark have offended many Muslim
  
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• Climate change: July set to be world's warmest month on record

  27-07-2023 20:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  UN chief says we are in an "era of global boiling" as July set to be world's warmest month on record.
  
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• Poland's government says country's top priority is securing European Union's border with Russian ally Belarus

  27-07-2023 20:04 via foxnews.com
  
  The European Union's border with Russian ally Belarus has become more dangerous because of Russia’s military presence there, and securing the frontier is the Polish government’s top priority, Poland's ruling party leader said Thursday. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, a deputy prime minister and head of the conservative Law and Justice party, made the comments while visiting the village of Koden on the EU’s border with Belarus. Later Thursday, Polish defense minister, Mariusz Blaszczak, met
  
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• Facebook users siloed to 'significant' echo chambers in 2020 run-up, vast open data study reveals

  27-07-2023 20:00
  
  A landmark study of how Facebook shaped the news users saw in the run-up to the 2020 election has found the platform resulted in “significant ideological segregation” in regard to political news exposure.
  
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• Justice Department to investigate Memphis police's use of force and possible discriminatory policing

  27-07-2023 19:52
  
  The Justice Department is investigating the city of Memphis and its police department for possible violations in its use of force, searches and arrests and whether it engaged in discriminatory policing.
  
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• Russian President Vladimir Putin promises to send 50K tons of grain aid to struggling African countries

  27-07-2023 19:51 via foxnews.com
  
  Russian President Vladimir Putin told leaders and officials from most African countries Thursday that his nation is making full efforts to avert a global food crisis despite concerns that its withdrawal from a deal allowing grain shipments from Ukraine will cause price spikes. Putin spoke at the opening session of a two-day Russia-Africa summit attended by a sharply lower number of African heads of state and government compared with a previous summit in 2019. While discussing the halted Black Se
  
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• 'No one hurt me': Missing Arizona teen who resurfaced 4 years after disappearing speaks out

  27-07-2023 19:15
  
  An Arizona teenager who showed up at a Montana police station nearly four years after she disappeared told detectives in Glendale that no one had hurt her, according to footage released by police.
  
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• 'Barbie' moms brawl over bad theater behavior in viral video

  27-07-2023 19:01 via foxnews.com
  
  Come on, Barbie, let's go…duke it out in a movie theater?  A post on social media showing "Barbie" moviegoers in Brazil castigating an inconsiderate parent who allegedly let her child watch YouTube videos throughout the entire screening of the blockbuster film has gone viral. The clip, posted on Monday by TikTok user Sophia Ferreira, shows a woman in pink pants storming up the stairs of the theater as the credits roll and shoving the offending mom, sending her falling into a row of s
  
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• Ukraine calls for disqualified fencer to be reinstated after anti-Russia protest

  27-07-2023 18:40
  
  Olha Kharlan, competing at the world championships in Milan, refused to shake Russian rival’s hand after beating herUkraine’s government has called on the International Fencing Federation (FIE) to reverse its decision to disqualify a Ukrainian fencer for refusing to shake hands with her defeated Russian opponent.The country’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, called for Olha Kharlan to be reinstated in the fencing world championships in Milan, after she was excluded as a result
  
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• WATCH: Injured sea lion returns to the ocean

  27-07-2023 18:21
  
  Biologists released a young sea lion back to the ocean after helping it recover from a neck injury caused by a piece of plastic.
  
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• WATCH: Burglar bear breaks into, trashes Colorado home

  27-07-2023 18:20
  
  Surveillance footage shows a resourceful bear breaking and strolling around a Colorado home and causing damage, but no one was home at the time of its visit.
  
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• DeSantis set to start using new fundraising vehicle as campaign faces staff cuts

  27-07-2023 18:09
  
  Ron DeSantis’ campaign is rebooting a pair of fundraising vehicles that have sat dormant since he launched, as his operation faces a difficult early stretch.
  
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• Emperor Nero’s lost theatre found under site of hotel in Rome

  27-07-2023 18:01
  
  Archaeologists hail ‘exceptional finds’ at venue whose existence was previously known only from mentions in ancient textsThe ruins of Nero’s Theatre, an imperial theatre referred to in ancient Roman texts but never found, have been discovered under the garden of a future Four Seasons hotel, steps away from the Vatican.Archaeologists in Rome have excavated deep under the walled garden of the Palazzo della Rovere since 2020 as part of planned renovations on the frescoed Renaissan
  
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• Quiz of the week: How has Barbie broken box-office records?

  27-07-2023 18:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  How closely have you been paying attention to what's been going on over the past seven days?
  
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• Ukraine starts fresh push in major counteroffensive: 'The Ukrainians are moving'

  27-07-2023 17:56 via foxnews.com
  
  Ukraine has initiated a significant push against Russian forces, hoping to dislodge them from the country’s southeast disputed territories as part of a major counteroffensive started in June.  Russian President Vladimir Putin during a summit in St. Petersburg acknowledged intensified action in the region as he praised the "heroism" of his soldiers in repelling attacks in Zaporizhzhia. Putin further claimed his forces not only destroyed Ukraine’s equipment but also inflicted heav
  
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• Former GOP gubernatorial candidate Ryan Kelley pleads guilty to Jan. 6 crime

  27-07-2023 17:44
  
  Former Michigan Republican gubernatorial candidate Ryan Kelley pleaded guilty to a federal crime on Thursday in connection with Jan. 6.
  
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• Army in Niger backs coup as U.S. forces in the country assess situation

  27-07-2023 17:38
  
  The army in the west African nation of Niger said Thursday it would offer no resistance to the forces that seized power in an armed coup this week.
  
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• Brazil: descendants of Africans who escaped slavery gain census recognition

  27-07-2023 17:26
  
  Data counts 1.3m quilombola, historically excluded population whose communities were founded by fugitive enslaved peopleMore than 1.3 million Brazilians who identify as descendants of Africans who escaped slavery have finally gained recognition in official statistics, marking a victory for this historically excluded population.The groundbreaking data was released on Thursday as part of Brazil’s 2022 census, during which the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) for the fir
  
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• El Salvador clears way for mass trials as crackdown on gangs ramps up

  27-07-2023 17:07
  
  Congress passes bill that could allow 900 people to be tried together if they are accused of being in the same criminal groupNayib Bukele’s government has already locked up 2% of El Salvador’s adult population and built the largest prison in the Americas to house the 70,000 alleged gang members he has imprisoned.Now the populist leader has cleared the way for mass trials of hundreds of people at a time as he steps up his year-long crackdown on the country’s gangs which critics
  
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• Sweden's Quran burnings put freedom of expression law to test

  27-07-2023 16:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The security service says Sweden's image has been harmed abroad and security at home has worsened.
  
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• Putin promises free grain to six African nations after collapse of Black Sea deal

  27-07-2023 15:56
  
  President says Russia will replace blocked Ukrainian exports after it abandoned pact on passage of shipsRussia-Ukraine war – latest news updatesVladimir Putin has promised free grain supplies to six African nations as Moscow seeks to capitalise on the collapse of the Black Sea grain deal.Speaking on the first day of a Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg, the Russian president claimed his country would be able to replace Ukrainian grain exports blocked by Moscow’s decision to abando
  
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• China criticises ‘malicious hype’ over Qin Gang disappearance

  27-07-2023 15:30
  
  Foreign ministry spokesperson comments on speculation a day after refusing to answer questions about ex-ministerChina’s ministry of foreign affairs has labelled speculation over the whereabouts of Qin Gang as “malicious hype” while continuing to refuse further details about the missing former foreign minister.At a daily press conference in Beijing, the ministry’s spokesperson, Mao Ning, said China had released information about Qin “in a timely manner”. &ldquo
  
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• China may be planning overseas naval bases in Asia and Africa, say analysts

  27-07-2023 15:22
  
  Beijing believed to be aiming to rival US’s global maritime power and defeat western sanctions, report concludesChina’s military may be planning to build a host of overseas naval bases, as it hopes to protect shipping routes and strengthen its ability to resist sanctions from the US and its allies, analysis has found.Hambantota in Sri Lanka, Bata in Equatorial Guinea and Gwadar in Pakistan are the three most likely locations for a Chinese naval base to be established in the next two
  
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• Iran protests: Return of morality police met by defiance

  27-07-2023 14:48 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The hijab police are back on the streets after nearly a year, but protesters are emboldened.
  
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• Australia 2-3 Nigeria: Matildas risk Fifa Women's World Cup early exit

  27-07-2023 14:42 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Nigeria come from behind to beat Australia and leave the co-hosts facing a battle to qualify for the last 16 of the Fifa Women's World Cup.
  
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