The Biden administration states that Israel has not crossed a red line in Rafah. Here is why
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has made efforts to avoid suggesting that Israeli forces have crossed a red line set by President Joe Biden in the ongoing offensive in Rafah, southern Gaza. Officials from the administration have referred to Israeli military operations in Rafah as an “uptick.” They claim that Israel has shifted its approach to focus on selective, limited strikes that minimize civilian casualties. Last month, Biden stated that he would not provide offensive weapons if Israel launched a full-scale assault on Rafah. Critics argue that Biden faces his own domestic red line by challenging ally Israel in an election year, and they believe he has chosen not to cross it.
Families of hostages in Gaza support the cease-fire proposal outlined by Biden. Israel maintains that the conditions have not been met
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Families of Israeli hostages held by Hamas are urging all parties to immediately accept a proposal from U.S. President Joe Biden to end the conflict in Gaza. However, the Israeli government insists that the conditions for a cease-fire have not been fulfilled. On Friday, Biden asserted that Hamas is not capable of launching another large-scale attack on Israel similar to the one that triggered the conflict. He called on Israel and Hamas to agree to an extended cease-fire. Israel stated on Saturday that its conditions for ending the conflict remain the same, and implementing a permanent cease-fire before these conditions are met is a “nonstarter.”
Republicans align with Trump’s criticisms of the justice system and his campaign for revenge following the guilty verdict
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional Republicans are adopting Donald Trump’s tactic of blaming the U.S. justice system after his landmark guilty verdict. They are also joining his campaign for vengeance and political retribution as part of the GOP’s efforts to regain the White House. The House Judiciary chairman demanded on Friday that the prosecutors in the New York hush money case appear for questioning. Republicans who expressed doubts about Trump’s innocence or political viability were immediately pressured to remain silent or told to “leave the party.” President Joe Biden criticized the attacks on the justice system as “reckless” and “irresponsible.” Experts on authoritarianism caution that Trump is threatening to use the state against his opponents.
The ANC party, which led South Africa out of apartheid, loses its 30-year majority in a significant election
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The African National Congress party has lost its parliamentary majority in a historic election result, marking a new political era for South Africa since the end of apartheid 30 years ago. With over 99% of the votes counted on Saturday, the once-dominant ANC had received just over 40% of the votes cast on Wednesday, falling short of the majority it held since the all-race election of 1994 that ended apartheid and brought Nelson Mandela to power. The final results are yet to be officially declared by the Independent Electoral Commission.
Voting concludes in India’s final election round, serving as a referendum on PM Modi’s decade in power
NEW DELHI (AP) — Voting has concluded in the last round of India’s six-week national election, which serves as a test of Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ten years in office. The seventh round of polls covered 57 constituencies across seven states and one union territory, completing a national election to fill all 543 seats in the lower house of parliament. Most poll surveys indicate that Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party are leading over the broad opposition alliance challenging them. Results are expected on Tuesday after vote counting, which is expected to be completed by the end of the day.
100 years ago, Native Americans in swing states were granted US citizenship without voting rights
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A century ago, an act of Congress granted citizenship to reluctant Native Americans during a period of forced assimilation, starting a lengthy journey to secure voting rights that were denied for several more decades. Legal and logistical barriers to voting continue to exist in remote areas of the southwestern United States, where the Native vote played a significant role in swinging the 2020 presidential election in Arizona to President Joe Biden. Recent election reforms in New Mexico are offering tribal communities more opportunities to vote, enhancing their political influence.
From a collapsed plea deal to trial: Hunter Biden faces federal gun charges
WASHINGTON (AP) — Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, is set to go on trial for federal gun charges brought by his father’s Justice Department. The trial is scheduled to commence on Monday in Delaware with jury selection. The case does not involve Hunter Biden’s business dealings, which have been the subject of a lengthy federal investigation and an impeachment inquiry by congressional Republicans. Prosecutors allege that Hunter Biden illegally purchased a gun in October 2018 by falsely claiming on a federal form that he was not a drug user. His defense attorneys contend that he never used the gun and that it was eventually discarded in a trash can.
Is intermittent fasting more effective than calorie counting? Perhaps not, but it may be more sustainable
Intermittent fasting, where individuals eat freely within specific daily timeframes, has gained popularity in recent years. Time-restricted eating, which involves consuming all meals within 10 hours a day or less, is the most common form. Early studies suggested that this approach could aid in weight loss. However, recent research indicates that time-restricted eating is “neither better nor worse” than calorie restriction. Experts suggest that it may be easier to maintain over the long term compared to traditional dieting methods.
Panama prepares to evacuate its first island due to rising sea levels
GARDI SUGDUB, Panama (AP) — The Gunas of Gardi Sugdub are the first of 63 communities along Panama’s coasts expected to relocate due to rising sea levels in the coming decades. Generations of Gunas who have lived on Gardi Sugdub, dedicating their lives to the sea and tourism, will be moving to the mainland next week. They will resettle in a new location constructed by the government, featuring concrete houses and paved streets in the lush tropical jungle, just over a mile or 2 kilometers from the port.
In Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, an underground world faces threats from the Maya Train
AKTUN TUYUL CAVE SYSTEM, Mexico (AP) — Mexico’s outgoing president has rapidly developed a train system around the southern Yucatan Peninsula. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador promised that the more than $30 billion Maya Train project would connect tourist attractions like Cancún and Playa del Carmen to remote archaeological sites in the dense jungle. The government aimed to attract investment into long-neglected rural regions. However, this flagship project is slowly damaging one of Mexico’s natural treasures: a fragile network of approximately 10,000 subterranean caverns, rivers, lakes, and freshwater sinkholes.
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