UN court order demanding Israel to halt Gaza offensive further isolates US position
WASHINGTON (AP) — An order by the top United Nations court for Israel to halt its military offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah deepens its disconnect with the United States. The operation faces mounting international condemnation, but American officials describe it, at least for now, as limited and targeted. The decision Friday by the International Court of Justice in The Hague adds to the pressure facing an increasingly isolated Israel. Yet the harsh global rhetoric stands apart from the stance of the Biden administration, which has made clear its opposition to a major offensive in Rafah while also insisting that the steps Israel has taken so far have not crossed red lines.
Egypt agrees to send aid trucks through Israeli crossing to Gaza but impact is unclear
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Egypt says it has agreed to send U.N. humanitarian aid trucks through Israel’s main crossing into Gaza. But it remains unclear if the aid will be able to enter the territory as fighting raged in the southern city of Rafah amid Israel’s escalating offensive there. Israel’s army says the bodies of three more hostages killed on Oct. 7 were recovered overnight from Gaza. The CIA chief met in Paris with Israeli and Qatari officials, trying to revive negotiations for a cease-fire and a hostage release.
Millions vote in India’s grueling election with Prime Minister Modi’s party likely to win third term
NEW DELHI (AP) — Millions of Indians are voting in the next-to-last round of a grueling national election in the searing summer heat. The combined opposition is trying to rattle Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign for a third-consecutive term for himself and his Hindu nationalist party. Saturday’s voting in 58 constituencies, including seven in New Delhi, will complete polling for roughly 90% of 543 seats in the lower house of Parliament. The voting for the remaining 57 seats on June 1 will wrap up a six-week election. The votes will be counted on June 4. This election is considered one of the most consequential in India’s history and will test the limits of Modi’s political dominance.
Emergency convoy delivers provisions to survivors of devastating landslide in Papua New Guinea
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — An emergency convoy has delivered food, water and other provisions to stunned survivors of a landslide that devastated a remote village in the mountains of Papua New Guinea. The landslide is feared to have buried scores of people. Official Serhan Aktoprak said Saturday that an assessment team has reported “suggestions” that 100 people are dead and 60 houses buried by a mountainside that collapsed in Enga province a few hours before dawn Friday. Only three bodies have been recovered, and medical treatment has been provided to seven people.
Prosecutors seek to bar Trump from statements endangering law enforcement in classified records case
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal prosecutors have asked the judge overseeing the classified documents case against Donald Trump to bar the former president from public statements that “pose a significant, imminent, and foreseeable danger to law enforcement agents” participating in the prosecution. The request to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon follows a distorted claim by Trump earlier this week that the FBI agents who searched his home in August 2022 were “authorized to shoot me” and were “locked & loaded ready to take me out & put my family in danger.” An attorney for Trump didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment Friday night.
Trump TV: Internet broadcaster beams the ex-president’s message directly to his MAGA faithful
OPELIKA, Ala. (AP) — In less than a decade, Right Side Broadcasting Network has gone from an upstart internet broadcaster to a major player in Donald Trump’s universe, amassing more than 2 million subscribers on its YouTube channel and on Rumble, an alternative video-sharing platform. As Trump’s loyal herald, carrying his message like a marathoner, live and unfiltered from rallies and other events, RSBN has allowed the former president to bypass traditional media and inject his vision for America directly into the veins of his diehard supporters. The channel does not challenge the former president. Its mantra is to let Trump be Trump.
Uvalde families sue Meta and Call of Duty maker on second anniversary of school attack
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The families of a group of victims of the Uvalde school shooting have announced new lawsuits against Instagram parent company Meta Platforms, the maker of the video game Call of Duty and the gun company that made the assault rifle used in the shooting. They accuse the companies of partnering to promote and create content designed to glorify violence and effectively training the teenage gunman in one of the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history. The lawsuits against Meta, Activision and gun-maker Daniel Defense were announced on the two-year anniversary of the attack on Robb Elementary School.
What we know about the young missionaries and religious leader killed in Haiti
A family member of a U.S. missionary couple says the couple and a Haitian man who led a religious organization have been fatally shot by criminal gang members in Haiti’s capital. Davy Lloyd’s sister on Friday told The Associated Press that her brother, his wife Natalie Lloyd and Missions in Haiti Inc. local Director Jude Montis were abducted and killed. Police union head Lionel Lazarre says the attack happened Thursday evening in Port-au-Prince. The slayings occurred as the capital crumbles under the relentless assault of violent gangs that control 80% of the city. Authorities are awaiting the arrival of a police force from Kenya to help quell gang violence in the Caribbean country.
Failed Graceland sale by a mystery entity highlights attempts to take assets of older or dead people
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A mysterious company has caused a stir for trying to auction Elvis Presley’s Graceland property in a foreclosure sale. A judge blocked the sale last week after Presley’s granddaughter filed a lawsuit alleging fraud. Many questions remain, including how often there are cases involving an entity claiming assets of older or dead people. Experts say it’s more common than one might think. They say the Graceland situation sheds a light on a problem many have faced under the radar. Meanwhile, the company faces questions about its legitimacy and an attorney general’s investigation.
It’s possible no party will get a majority in South Africa’s election. Here’s what that would mean
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — The focus for South Africa’s national election next week is on the fate of the African National Congress party and whether it is going to lose its parliamentary majority for the first time. Several polls put the ANC’s support below 50%, raising the prospect that it might not be the majority party for the first time since winning control of the government when Nelson Mandela led it to victory in the first all-race elections that ended white minority rule in 1994. But the ANC is still widely expected to be the biggest party. No clear majority would bring an unprecedented political change and complicate how the president is elected and how the government works in Africa’s most advanced economy.
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