Hamas’ top political leader is killed in Iran in strike that risks triggering all-out regional war
BEIRUT (AP) — Hamas’ top political leader has been killed in an airstrike in Tehran, and Hamas and Iran blame Israel. The U.S. and other nations are scrambling to prevent an all-out regional war. Iran’s supreme leader has vowed revenge against Israel for killing “a dear guest” just hours after Ismail Haniyeh attended the inauguration of Iran’s new president. Israel has kept silent about the strike. But it has vowed to kill Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders over the group’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people. Haniyeh’s killing could prompt Hamas to pull out of negotiations for a cease-fire.
The war in Gaza might complicate Haniyeh’s replacement. Here are the possible contenders
BEIRUT (AP) — The militant Palestinian group Hamas has a history of swift and smooth replacement of fallen leaders killed in Israeli airstrikes. Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination in the Iranian capital early Wednesday comes at a time when Hamas is under extreme pressure since the war in Gaza started nearly 10 months ago. Haniyeh headed the group’s political bureau until his death. His deputy was Saleh Arouri, who was killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut in January and would have been the automatic replacement. Several top Hamas officials could replace Haniyeh once the group’s Shura council meets, including Zaher Jabarin, Khaled Mashaal and Khalil al-Hayya.
UN report says Palestinians detained by Israeli authorities since Oct. 7 faced torture, mistreatment
GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. human rights office has issued a report saying Palestinians detained by Israeli authorities since the Oct. 7 attacks have faced waterboarding, sleep deprivation, electric shocks and other forms of torture and mistreatment. The report released Wednesday says that Israel’s prison service held more than 9,400 “security detainees” as of the end of June, and some have been held in secret without access to lawyers or respect for their legal rights. Findings in the report, one of the most extensive of its kind, could be used by International Criminal Court prosecutors who are looking into crimes committed in connection to the Oct. 7 attacks.
Colombian President Petro calls on Venezuela’s Maduro to release detailed vote counts from election
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Colombian President Gustavo Petro has called on his close ally, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, to release detailed vote counts from the recent presidential election after electoral authorities declared Maduro the winner. Petro’s comments followed harsh criticism from the international community of Maduro and the National Electoral Council, which is loyal to the ruling party and has yet to release any specific results from polling centers as it has in past elections. Maduro’s toughest challenger, Edmundo González, and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado have said the release of those figures would show the incumbent lost the election.
About 8 in 10 Democrats are satisfied with Harris in stark shift after Biden drops out: AP-NORC poll
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris appears to have energized Democrats in the early days of her candidacy, with the surge in warm feelings extending across multiple groups, including some key Democratic constituencies that had been tepid about President Joe Biden. That’s according to a new poll. About 8 in 10 Democrats say they would be very or somewhat satisfied if Harris became the Democratic nominee for president. The survey from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research was conducted after Biden withdrew from the race. The rapidly changing views among Democrats in such a short time span underscore how swiftly the party has coalesced behind Harris as its standard-bearer.
A speaking invitation to Donald Trump splits the most prominent American group for Black journalists
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s invitation to address the National Association of Black Journalists has sparked an intense debate within the organization and a flurry of arguments online. Journalism organizations for people of color traditionally invite presidential candidates to address their summer gatherings during election years. But Trump’s acceptance of NABJ’s invitation has led at least one high-profile group member to step down as a convention co-chair and others to argue their convention may become a platform for Trump to make false claims or be seen as winning NABJ’s endorsement. The debate over NABJ’s invite reflects how many journalists are still grappling with how to approach Trump nearly a decade after his first presidential run.
Washington, DC, sues StubHub, saying the resale platform inflates ticket prices with deceptive fees
WASHINGTON (AP) — The ticket resale company StubHub is defending its pricing practices from a lawsuit filed by the attorney general for Washington, D.C. The nation’s capital said in a lawsuit Wednesday that the company advertises deceptively low prices and then ramps up prices with extra fees. Washington Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the practice known as “drip pricing” violates consumer protection laws in the nation’s capital. The company, on the other hand, says its practices are consistent with the law and industry norms. Washington’s lawsuit says StubHub has sold nearly 5 million tickets there since 2015 and reaped about $118 million in fees. The suit seeks damages and a halt to the pricing structure.
Delta CEO says airline is facing $500 million in costs from global tech outage
Delta CEO Ed Bastian says the airline is facing $500 million in costs for the global technology breakdown this month. Speaking on CNBC, Bastian said Wednesday that the monetary amount represents lost revenue as well as “the tens of millions of dollars per day in compensation and hotels” for the five-day period.
Meet the Olympics superfan who spent her savings to get to her 7th Games
PARIS (AP) — Covered with pins and adornments, Vivianne Robinson is hard to miss in the streets of Paris. The Olympics superfan has attended seven Summer Games over the span of 40 years. But this trip to Paris came at a hefty price. Ten thousand dollars, to be precise. The 66-year-old maxed out her credit cards and worked two jobs to afford the experience. After paying $1,600 for the opening ceremony, she ended up watching it on the screen. She’s become somewhat of a celebrity herself and has vowed that no matter how much it costs, she’ll make it to the next one.
Olympic triathletes swim in Seine River after days of concerns about water quality
PARIS (AP) — The Olympic triathlons were held Wednesday after days of delays and uncertainty over water quality concerns in the Seine River. Organizers said the latest tests of the famed Paris waterway showed compliance with quality standards. Elevated levels of bacteria delayed the men’s race from Tuesday. The decision to go ahead with the Seine swim for the triathlon competitions is a big win for the city and Olympics organizers. They undertook a more than billion-dollar plan to clean up the long-polluted Seine and have been steadfast in their insistence that swimming events could safely be held in the river.
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