French high-speed rail network lines sabotaged in hours before Games opening ceremony
PARIS (AP) â The French national rail company SNCF says high-speed lines have been hit by several âmalicious actsâ that have heavily disrupted traffic on the day of the high-risk Olympics opening ceremony. Lines in the west, north, and east of France were affected, SNCF announced. Government officials denounced the incidents hours before the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, which are happening around France, though there was no immediate sign of a link to the Games. Many French families are also heading on summer vacation Friday. National police said authorities are investigating what happened. French media reported a big fire on a busy western route.
Harris tries to thread the needle on Gaza after meeting with Netanyahu
WASHINGTON (AP) â Vice President Kamala Harris met with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to talk about the war in Gaza. The conversation Thursday came days after she launched her White House campaign, forcing Harris to confront one of the most divisive issues within the Democratic Party. Harris did not deviate from President Joe Biden’s approach to the conflict, but she placed a heavier emphasis on alleviating Palestinian suffering. In a separate statement, Harris criticized protesters who ripped down American flags and spray-painted pro-Hamas messages while Netanyahu spoke on Capitol Hill.
Netanyahu will meet Trump at Mar-a-Lago, mending a years-long rift
WASHINGTON (AP) â Donald Trump is due to talk face-to-face with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the first time in nearly four years. In Friday’s meeting at Mar-a-Lago, Trump will seek to mend ties that were damaged at the end of his presidency and cast himself as an ally and statesman. For Trump, now the Republican presidential nominee, the meeting could help sharpen efforts by Republicans to portray themselves as the party most loyal to Israel. For Netanyahu, repairing relations with Trump is an imperative given the prospect that he may once again become president of the United States, Israelâs main arms supplier and protector.
Wounded in a strike that killed her family, a 2-year-old joins Gaza’s ranks of thousands of orphans
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) â Two-year-old Siwar Abdel-Hadi is the lone survivor in her family after an Israeli airstrike on her home in central Gaza killed her parents and three siblings. Siwar was left with burns on her face, collapsed lungs, and shrapnel wounds. She joins the ranks of thousands of orphans left by Israel’s campaign of bombardment and offensives. Like other families, Siwar’s extended relatives are now trying to figure out how to raise her as they struggle to get by with their own children in the deprivations of the war.
US arrests 2 leaders of Mexicoâs Sinaloa cartel: âEl Mayoâ Zambada and son of ‘El Chapo’
WASHINGTON (AP) â The U.S. Justice Department says Ismael âEl Mayoâ Zambada, a longtime leader of Mexicoâs Sinaloa cartel, and JoaquĂn GuzmĂĄn LĂłpez, a son of another infamous cartel leader, have been arrested by authorities in Texas. Zambada has been a leader of the powerful cartel for decades alongside JoaquĂn âEl Chapoâ GuzmĂĄn. His is known for running the cartelâs smuggling operations while keeping a lower profile. A Mexican federal official told The Associated Press that Zambada and GuzmĂĄn LĂłpez arrived on a private plane and turned themselves in to U.S. authorities. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the matter,
Venezuelan voters face crucial choice: Reelect Maduro or give opposition a chance after 25 years
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) â Venezuelans have a crucial decision ahead of them. On Sunday, they decide whether to give President Nicolas Maduro a third six-year term in office or to allow the opposition a chance to deliver on their promise to undo the policies that caused economic collapse and forced millions to emigrate. Maduro is being challenged by nine candidates. Maduro has fended off previous challenges by barring rivals from elections and painting them as out-of-touch elitists in league with foreign powers. But this time, he is allowing the coalition of main opposition parties to participate with former diplomat Edmundo GonzĂĄlez Urrutia as its candidate.
Harris says she’s ready to debate Trump and accuses him of ‘backpedaling’ from Sept. 10 faceoff
WASHINGTON (AP) â Vice President Kamala Harris has told reporters that sheâs âready to debate Donald Trump.â She accused Trump of âbackpedalingâ away from a previous agreement for a debate hosted by ABC News on Sept. 10. Trump has said he would prefer to shift the event to Fox News, but he would be open to holding two debates with Harris. She says, âI think the voters deserve to see the split-screen that exists in this race on the debate stage.â She spoke to reporters after landing at Joint Base Andrews following a trip to Indiana and Texas.
Agreement with Russia is ‘deal with the devil,’ adviser to Ukrainian president says
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) â Signing an agreement with Russia to stop the war with Ukraine would amount to signing a deal with the devil. That’s the position of a top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Mykhailo Podolyak spoke to The Associated Press in an interview Thursday as pressure mounts on the country to seek an end to more than two years of fighting. He said a deal would only buy time for Russian President Vladimir Putin to strengthen his army and usher in another, potentially more violent chapter in the war. It is a view held across Zelenskyyâs camp and reflected broadly among Ukrainians.
Video game performers will go on strike over artificial intelligence concerns
LOS ANGELES (AP) â Hollywoodâs video game performers are going on strike, throwing part of the entertainment industry into another work stoppage after talks for a new contract with major game studios broke down over artificial intelligence protections. The strike will begin at 12:01 a.m. Friday. It’s the second strike for video game actors and performers under the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. It comes after nearly two years of negotiations with gaming giants. Union negotiators say gains have been made over wages and job safety but that the game studios will not make a deal over the regulation of generative AI.
How to watch the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony
The opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics is set for Friday. Instead of a traditional march into a stadium, about 6,800 athletes will parade on more than 90 boats on the Seine River. This will start the ceremony, not mark the end of it, another break from tradition. The ceremony will air on NBC and stream on Peacock and NBC Olympic platforms. It starts at 1:30 p.m. Eastern and is expected to last more than three hours. There will be a prime-time encore at 7:30 p.m.
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