Trump swaps bluster for silence, and possibly sleep, in his hush money trial
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump isn’t known for letting slights pass. Yet for weeks, the famously combative presumptive Republican presidential nominee has sat silently in a sterile lower Manhattan courtroom amid a barrage of insults and accusations. Through it all, Trump has spent the majority of his time as a criminal defendant sitting nearly motionless, for hours, leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed — so zen he often appeared to be asleep. Trump’s demeanor inside the courtroom has, in many ways, been dramatic for its very lack of drama. And it is at least, in part, a strategy in response to warnings that behaving like he has in past trials could backfire.
The bodies of 3 more hostages are recovered from Gaza by the Israeli army
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel’s army says the bodies of three more hostages killed on Oct 7. were recovered overnight from Gaza. The news comes as the top United Nations court prepares to rule on whether Israel must halt its military operations and withdraw from the enclave. The bodies of Hanan Yablonka, Michel Nisenbaum, and Orion Hernandez were found and their families have been notified. The army said they were killed on the day of the attack at the Mefalsim intersection and their bodies were taken to Gaza. The announcement comes less than a week after the army said it found the bodies of three other Israeli hostages killed on Oct. 7.
The top UN court is set to rule on a request for it to order Israel to halt its offensive in Gaza
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The top United Nations court is set to rule on an urgent plea by South Africa for judges to order Israel to halt its military operations in Gaza and withdraw from the enclave. Israel is unlikely to comply with any such order. Even so, a cease-fire order Friday by the International Court of Justice would heap more pressure on an increasingly isolated Israel as it continues its military assault on Gaza following the deadly Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas-led militants. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is already under heavy pressure at home and abroad to end the war.
‘Green blitz’: As election nears, Biden pushes slew of rules on environment, other priorities
WASHINGTON (AP) — As he tries to secure his legacy, President Joe Biden has unleashed a flurry of election-year rules on the environment. They include a landmark regulation that would force coal-fired power plants to capture smokestack emissions or shut down. It is among dozens of actions the Biden administration has taken in recent weeks to meet his climate goals and other priorities. The regulations are led by the Environmental Protection Agency but involve a host of federal agencies on issues including education, transportation and labor. They are being issued in quick succession as Biden rushes to meet a looming deadline to ensure they are not overturned by a new Congress.
More than 100 people believed killed by a landslide in Papua New Guinea, Australian media report
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australian media are reporting that more than 100 people are believed to have died in a landslide that buried a village in remote Papua New Guinea. The landslide reportedly hit at about 3 a.m. Friday in Kaokalam village, about 370 miles northwest of the South Pacific island nation’s capital of Port Moresby. Residents say current estimates of the death toll are above 100, although authorities have not confirmed that figure. Villagers say the number of those killed could be much higher. Prime Minister James Marape says authorities are responding and he will release information about the destruction and loss of life when it is available.
NCAA, leagues back $2.8 billion settlement, setting stage for current, former athletes to be paid
The NCAA and five major college sports conferences have agreed to settle antitrust allegations for nearly $2.8 billion over the next 10 years. The deal also calls for a groundbreaking revenue-sharing model that could start steering millions of dollars directly to college athletes as soon as fall 2025. If approved by a judge, the payouts will go to thousands of former and current college athletes who were not allowed to earn money from endorsement and sponsorship deals dating to 2016. The Big Ten, Big 12, Atlantic Coast Conference, Southeastern Conference and Pac-12 were the defendants along with the NCAA.
A fire in an apartment building in Hanoi, Vietnam, kills 14 people and injures 6
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — An overnight fire in an apartment building on a narrow alley in Vietnam’s capital has killed 14 people and injured six others. State media said firefighters had to contain the fire using hoses because the small alley in central Hanoi prevented access by firetrucks. The fire started in a small courtyard used as a garage for electric bikes. The charred remains of burnt motorbikes and plants and scattered belongings remained at the apartment. The building had 24 residents, including the owner’s family and several tenants.
Fire at chemical factory in India kills at least 9, with searchers looking for more victims
THANE, India (AP) — Rescuers are combing through piles of debris and wreckage to search for bodies after an explosion and fire at a chemical factory in western India killed at least nine people and injured 64 others. The explosion in the factory’s boiler on Thursday led to a fire that affected other nearby factories and houses in Maharashtra state’s Thane district. Two bodies have been identified so far, but seven are burned beyond recognition. The cause of the explosion is being investigated. Disaster response officials said the factory made food coloring and used highly reactive chemicals that can cause explosions. Police have filed culpable homicide charges against the factory owners.
Top Russian military officials are being arrested. Why is it happening?
The arrests began last month when a Russian deputy defense minister was detained. Then the head of the ministry’s personnel directorate was hauled into court. This week, two more senior military officials were detained. All face corruption charges. The arrests began after President Vladimir Putin began his fifth term and shuffled his ally, longtime Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, into a new post. It immediately raised questions about whether Putin was reasserting control over the Defense Ministry amid the war in Ukraine, whether a turf battle had broken out between the military and the security services, or whether some other scenario was playing out behind the Kremlin’s walls.
China sends dozens of warplanes and ships near Taiwan to show its anger over island’s new leaders
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China has sent dozens of warplanes and navy vessels off Taiwan’s coast on the second day of a large exercise launched to show its anger over the island’s inauguration of new leaders who refuse to accept its insistence that Taiwan is part of China. Taiwan’s defense ministry said it tracked 49 Chinese warplanes and 19 navy vessels as well as coast guard vessels on Friday. Taiwan’s new president, Lai Ching-te, visited a marine base on Thursday and said the island would “continue to maintain the values of freedom and democracy.” A Beijing official said Lai has “challenged the one-China principle,” which asserts that Taiwan is part of China.
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