The Latest | 12 Palestinians killed and 25 wounded in Israel’s 2-day West Bank operation
The Israeli military says it has completed a two-day operation in the occupied West Bank that the Palestinian Health Ministry says killed 12 Palestinians and wounded 25. Rippling tensions from the Israel-Hamas war are also being felt in the Red Sea and in Lebanon. A missile splashed down in the water near the crucial Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Thursday, but caused no damage. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency says an Israeli drone strike killed one person and wounded three school students who were passing nearby in a bus. More than 400 people have been killed in Lebanon since Israel and Hezbollah began exchanging fire the day after Israel launched its war in Gaza following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.
How does this end? With Hamas holding firm and fighting back in Gaza, Israel faces only bad options
JERUSALEM (AP) — Hamas is still putting up a fight after seven brutal months of war with Israel, regrouping in some of the hardest-hit areas in northern Gaza and resuming rocket attacks into nearby Israeli communities. Israel initially made tactical advances against Hamas after a devastating aerial bombardment paved the way for its ground troops. But those early gains have given way to a grinding struggle against an adaptable insurgency — and a growing feeling among many Israelis that their military faces only bad options, drawing comparisons with U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The other two members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s three-man War Cabinet are demanding that he come up with detailed postwar plans.
5 dead and nearly 3 dozen hurt in tornadoes that tore through Iowa, officials say
GREENFIELD, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a deadly tornado that wreaked havoc in the small city of Greenfield, Iowa, left four people dead and nearly three dozen injured, while a fifth person was killed elsewhere. The twister that tore through the city on Tuesday was rated at least an EF-3 by the National Weather Service and was so destructive that it took authorities more than a day to account for the area’s residents. Officials believe the number of people injured is likely higher. The deadly twister was spawned during a historic tornado season in the U.S. April had the second-highest number of tornadoes on record in the country.
Iran begins burying late president, foreign minister and others killed in helicopter crash
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran is preparing to inter its late president at the holiest site for Shiite Muslims in the Islamic Republic, a final sign of respect for a protege of Iran’s supreme leader killed in a helicopter crash earlier this week. President Ebrahim Raisi’s burial later Thursday at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad caps days of processionals through much of Iran, seeking to bolster the country’s theocracy after the crash that killed him, the country’s foreign minister and six others. However, the services have not drawn the same crowds as those who gathered for services for Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani in 2020 in a potential sign of the public’s feelings about Raisi after harsh crackdowns on dissent.
Strong winds topple stage at a campaign rally in northern Mexico, killing at least 9 people
SAN PEDRO GARZA GARCIA, Mexico (AP) — At least nine people are dead and 63 more injured after the collapse of a stage during a campaign rally in the northern Mexican state of Nuevo Leon. The state’s governor confirmed the tragedy and said among the dead was a child. A strong gust of wind caused the stage to collapse during an event attended by presidential long-shot candidate Jorge Álvarez Máynez. Videos of the dramatic collapse were posted to social media Wednesday night. The clips showed people screaming and running away, and later climbing out from under metal polls. Afterward, soldiers, police and other officials roamed the grounds of the park where the event took place.
Taiwan scrambles jets and puts missile, naval and land units on alert over China’s military drills
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan says it has scrambled jets and put missile, naval and land units on alert over drills China has announced around the self-governing island democracy. The Defense Ministry said China’s “irrational provocation has jeopardized regional peace and stability.” China’s military said it started two-day exercises surrounding Taiwan on Thursday in what it called punishment for separatist forces seeking independence on the self-governed island. A new president took office in Taiwan this week who has said he seeks dialogue with Beijing while maintaining Taiwan’s de facto independent status and avoiding conflicts that could draw in chief foreign supporters.
A comment from Trump and GOP actions in the states put contraceptive access in the 2024 spotlight
CHICAGO (AP) — Republican state lawmakers across the U.S. have been knocking down efforts by Democrats to ensure access to various forms of birth control. Former President Donald Trump put contraception in the election year spotlight this week when he said he was open to restrictions on it, then backed away from that statement. The focus on contraception provides an opening for Democrats, who are seeking to capitalize on the issue as a potent driver of voter turnout in the fall — just as they did with abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a constitutional right to the procedure. Already this year, Republican legislatures and governors in numerous states have defeated Democratic attempts to protect access to contraception.
In riot-hit New Caledonia, French President Macron says the priority is a return to calm
French President Emmanuel Macron has met with local officials in riot-hit New Caledonia after crossing the globe in a high-profile show of support for the French Pacific archipelago gripped by deadly unrest. Macron said Thursday that he views a return to calm as the top priority. His trip comes during the most severe violence to hit New Caledonia since the 1980s. The unrest was triggered by reforms passed by lawmakers in Paris that would change the voting system in New Caledonia, where Indigenous people have long sought independence from France.
Toronto awarded WNBA’s first franchise outside US, with expansion team set to begin play in 2026
Toronto has been awarded the WNBA’s first franchise outside the United States, with the expansion team set to begin play in 2026. Ahead of the official announcement Thursday, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told The Associated Press: “The thing I love about going to another country is that the young girls and boys get to see professional basketball for women is important, too.” The team will be owned by Larry Tanenbaum-led Kilmer Sports Ventures. Tanenbaum also is the chairman and a minority owner of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which owns several Toronto sports franchises, including the NBA’s Raptors and NHL’s Maple Leafs. Toronto will be the WNBA’s 14th franchise, with Golden State set to start play next year. Toronto will play at 8,700-seat Coca-Cola Coliseum.
Baseball becomes a shelter for Venezuelan children in soccer-mad Peru
LIMA, Peru (AP) — The crack of bat on ball and the sight of Venezuelan children running the bases on the soccer field turned baseball diamond on the outskirts of Peru’s capital are watched with confusion by locals accustomed to soccer. The questioning looks don’t deter the young Venezuelans for whom baseball reinforces a strong bond with their embattled homeland. And there is no shortage of players with more than 1 million Venezuelans estimated to live in Lima, a city of about 10 million people. Immigrants, mainly Venezuelans, have opened five baseball academies in Lima, the capital of soccer-made Peru.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
