North Korea says deal between Putin and Kim requires immediate military assistance in event of war
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea’s state media say the new agreement between Russia and North Korea reached by their leaders requires the countries to use all available means to provide immediate military assistance in the event of war. The official Korean Central News Agency on Thursday reported the language of the comprehensive strategic partnership agreement reached by its leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Pyongyang on Wednesday. The agency said part of the agreement states that if one of the countries gets invaded and pushed into a state of war, the other must deploy “all means at its disposal without delay” to provide “military and other assistance.”
New law requires all Louisiana public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana has become the first state to require that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public school classroom. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry on Wednesday signed the bill mandating the displays. The GOP-drafted legislation requires a poster of the Ten Commandments in “large, easily readable font” in all public classrooms, from kindergarten to state-funded universities. Opponents question the law’s constitutionality. Civil rights groups including the American Civil Liberties Union promised a lawsuit. Proponents say the purpose of the measure is not solely religious, but that it has historical significance. Classrooms must display the Ten Commandments by the start of 2025.
New Mexico wildfire claims second life, while rain offers hope of relief
ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) — Heavy rain and hail are falling around an evacuated village in New Mexico threatened by wildfires that have killed at least two people and damaged more than 1,400 structures, offering the hope of some assistance for firefighters but adding the threat of high winds and flash floods. Police confirmed Wednesday that the remains of a second fire victim were found. Meteorologists say weather patterns were shifting Wednesday with possible rains later in the afternoon and evening. But there was also a risk of high winds and flash floods.
Alberto, the first named tropical storm of the season, dumps rain on Mexico and Texas
TAMPICO, Mexico (AP) — Tropical Storm Alberto is moving toward Mexico’s northeast coast after forming in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, the first named storm of what is forecast to be a busy hurricane season. The National Hurricane Center said late Wednesday that Alberto was located about 135 miles east of Tampico, Mexico, and about 320 miles south-southeast of Brownsville, Texas, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph. A tropical storm is defined by sustained winds of between 39 and 73 mph, and one with stronger winds is a hurricane. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts the hurricane season from June 1 to Nov. 30 is likely to be well above average, with between 17 and 25 named storms.
Rifts seem to appear between Israel’s political and military leadership over conduct of the Gaza war
JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli army’s chief spokesman is apparently questioning the stated goal of destroying the Hamas militant group in Gaza in a rare public rift between the country’s political and military leadership. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Israel will pursue the fight against Hamas, the group running the besieged Gaza Strip, until its military and governing capabilities in the Palestinian territory are eliminated. But with the Israel-Hamas war now in its ninth month, frustration has been mounting. The Israeli military spokesperson said during a television interview that the “business of destroying Hamas, making Hamas disappear — it’s simply throwing sand in the eyes of the public.”
Scorching temperatures, humidity making life miserable for millions from Midwest to Maine
BOSTON (AP) — A blistering heat wave stretching from the Midwest to the tip of Maine is leaving millions of people sweltering through the Juneteenth holiday. Many cities have issued heat warnings and several places canceled activities planned for the holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. Some places closed cooling centers due to the holiday, forcing those who rely on them find other places to seek relief. The dangerous temperatures are expected to peak in the eastern Great Lakes and New England on Wednesday and Thursday, and in the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic on Friday and Saturday.
Power outage leaves millions of Ecuadorians in the dark after transmission line fails
QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — A failure in an energy transmission line has produced an blackout throughout Ecuador, the government reported, days after announcing that there would be new power outages in the country due to production problems. Ecuador’s Minister of Energy Roberto Luque explained in a message posted on X, formerly Twitter, that the failure was reported by the country’s National Electricity Operator and caused “a cascade disconnection,” leaving the nation without energy service. In some sectors of the country the outage lasted 20 minutes, but media outlets and social media users reported that the problem remained in most cities and even in some hospital areas.
Colombian family’s genes offer new clue to delaying onset of Alzheimer’s
WASHINGTON (AP) — Scientists studying a Colombian family plagued by early-in-life Alzheimer’s have found a rare gene variant that seems to delay initial symptoms by about five years. The first clue came from a woman who escaped her family’s genetic fate, apparently because she also had two copies of a different mutated gene that shielded her. Now researchers have found one copy of that variant was enough to delay disease onset in 27 other members of that family. If they learn how the protection works, it could lead to novel treatments. The finding was published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Immigrant families rejoice over Biden’s expansive move toward citizenship, while some are left out
HOUSTON (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of immigrants had reason to rejoice when President Joe Biden unveiled a highly expansive plan to extend legal status to spouses of U.S. citizens but, inevitably, some were left out. Biden says his administration will allow spouses without legal status to apply for permanent residency without having to first depart the country. To qualify, they must have lived in the United States for 10 years and be married to a U.S. citizen, both as of Monday. Every immigration benefit — even those as sweeping as Biden’s election-year offer — have cutoff dates and other eligibility requirements.
On Juneteenth, monument dedicated in Alabama to those who endured slavery
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Equal Justice Initiative nonprofit invoked the Juneteenth holiday as it dedicated a monument that honors the people who endured and survived slavery. The National Monument to Freedom is the centerpiece of the new Freedom Monument Sculpture Park in Montgomery, Alabama. The monument is inscribed with the surnames that formerly enslaved people chose for themselves after being emancipated at the Civil War’s end. The founder of the Equal Justice Initiative said Juneteenth is a day to honestly confront the brutality of slavery but also honor the people who managed to remain hopeful despite what they faced.
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