War crimes prosecutor seeks arrest of Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Netanyahu
JERUSALEM (AP) — The chief prosecutor of the world’s top war crimes court is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Karim Khan of the International Criminal Court on Monday accused Netanyahu, his defense minister, and three Hamas leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel. The announcement was a symbolic blow that deepened Israel’s isolation over the war in Gaza. Israeli leaders condemned the move as disgraceful and antisemitic. Hamas also rejected the accusations. A panel of judges will consider the prosecutor’s evidence and decide whether to issue the arrest warrants and allow a case to proceed.
What’s next for Iran’s government after death of its president in helicopter crash?
JERUSALEM (AP) — The death of Iran’s president is unlikely to lead to any immediate changes in Iran’s ruling system or to its overarching policies, which are decided by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But Ebrahim Raisi was seen as a prime candidate to succeed the 85-year-old supreme leader. His death Sunday in a helicopter crash makes it more likely that the job could eventually go to Khamenei’s son. A hereditary succession would pose a potential crisis of legitimacy for the Islamic Republic, which was established as an alternative to monarchy but which many Iranians already see as a corrupt and dictatorial regime.
Defense witness who angered judge in Trump’s hush money trial will return to the stand
NEW YORK (AP) — A defense witness in Donald Trump’s hush money case whom the judge threatened to remove from the trial over his behavior will return to the stand Tuesday as the trial nears its end. Trump’s lawyers are hoping Robert Costello’s testimony will help undermine the credibility of a key prosecution witness, Trump fixer-turned-foe Michael Cohen. But Costello angered Judge Juan Merchan on Monday, prompting the judge to briefly kick reporters out of the courtroom to admonish him. The chaotic scene unfolded after prosecutors rested their case accusing Trump of falsifying business records as part of a scheme to bury stories that he feared could hurt his 2016 campaign. Trump denies any wrongdoing.
Election deniers moving closer to GOP mainstream, report shows, as Trump allies fill Congress
WASHINGTON (AP) — As Donald Trump makes a comeback bid to return to power, Republicans in Congress have become even more likely to cast doubts on President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory. A new report from States United Action, a group that targets election deniers, says nearly one-third of the lawmakers in Congress supported in some way Trump’s bid to overturn the 2020 presidential results. Several more are running for election this year to the House and Senate. Lizzie Ullmer of States United Action says the public should have a “real healthy dose of concern.” It’s not happening just in Congress. Prominent election deniers also now run the Republican National Committee.
Judge blocks Biden administration from enforcing new gun sales background check rule in Texas
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A federal judge has blocked the Biden administration from enforcing a new rule in Texas that would require firearms dealers to run background checks on buyers at gun shows or other places outside brick-and-mortar stores. The decision by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk came before the rule had been set to take effect Monday. The order also prevents the federal government from enforcing the rule against several gun-rights groups, including Gun Owners of America. The requirement is the Biden administration’s latest effort to curtail gun violence. It aims to close a loophole that has allowed unlicensed dealers to sell tens of thousands of guns every year without checking that the potential buyer is not legally prohibited from having a firearm.
Australia and New Zealand sending planes to evacuate nationals from New Caledonia’s unrest
SYDNEY (AP) — The Australian and New Zealand governments say they are sending planes to evacuate their nationals from violence-wracked New Caledonia. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed on Tuesday that Australia had received clearance for two flights to evacuate citizens and other tourists from New Caledonia amid violent unrest that has beset the French Pacific archipelago where indigenous people have long sought independence from France. New Zealand also announced it is sending a plane Tuesday to evacuate its nationals from Noumea, the Pacific island’s capital, in the first in a series of proposed flights to bring its citizens home.
Indian voters dissect Modi’s politics while traversing the country by train
ABOARD THE THIRUKKURAL EXPRESS, India (AP) — The Associated Press rode one of the longest trains in India — 1,800 miles from New Delhi to Kanyakumari — to interview voters about an election that will be decided in June. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is likely to win and reappoint Prime Minister Narendra Modi — the leader for the past decade — for another five years. A man who runs a food stall said Modi isn’t doing enough for the poor. A Muslim man said Modi’s Hindu-centric policies are hurtful and divisive. But many passengers said they supported Modi, and credited him with improving India’s economy and its global image.
Corn, millet and … rooftop solar? Farm family’s newest crop shows China’s solar ascendancy
JINAN, China (AP) — China is the runaway leader in supplying the world with the hardware to gather solar power. Now it’s installing it at home at such a clip that the country’s grid is getting more than it can use in some places. That’s true in Shandong province, where Shi Mei and her husband decided a few years ago to supplement their farm income by buying a solar setup for their roof. Now they harvest the equivalent of $10,000 per year for the electricity that gets fed to the grid. Shi says “When the sun comes out, you make money.” Analysts and solar companies say the future will remain bright if China can quickly adapt to the oversupply.
Climbing limits are being set on Mount Fuji to fight crowds and littering
TOKYO (AP) — Those who want to climb one of the most popular trails on Japan’s iconic Mount Fuji will have to book a slot and pay a fee soon. Crowds, littering and climbers who try to rush too fast to the summit are causing safety and conservation concerns at the picturesque stratovolcano. Yamanashi prefecture said Monday it introduced new rules for the climbing season starting July 1 for those hiking the Yoshida Trail on the Yamanashi side of the nearly 12,300 feet-high mountain. Only 4,000 climbers will be allowed to enter the trail per day for a fee of about $18. More than 220,000 people climbed the mountain last year.
Scarlett Johansson says a ChatGPT voice is ‘eerily similar’ to hers and OpenAI is halting its use
NEW YORK (AP) — OpenAI says it plans to halt the use of one of its ChatGPT voices that “Her” actor Scarlett Johansson says sounds “eerily similar” to her own. OpenAI said Monday that it is “working to pause” Sky — the name of one of five voices that ChatGPT users can chose to speak with. The company added it had “heard questions” about how it selects the lifelike audio options available for its flagship artificial intelligence chatbot. Among those raising questions was Johansson, who famously voiced a fictional, and at the time futuristic, AI assistant in the 2013 film “Her.” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said that the voice actor behind Sky was cast “before any outreach to Ms. Johansson,” but apologized for not communicating better.
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