News & Current Events

[ad_1] Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes killed 16 people on Friday across the territory, where Israel has ramped up its military offensive in recent days.The toll from "Israeli strikes in various areas across the Gaza Strip since midnight" totals 16 dead, agency official Mohammed al-Mughayyir told AFP.The official said there were also dozens of people wounded in the strikes, which mainly hit the centre and south of the territory.The Israeli army said that over the past day, its forces had attacked "military compounds, weapons storage facilities and sniper posts" in Gaza."In addition, the (air force) struck over 75 terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip," it added.Israel resumed major operations in Gaza on March 18, ending a two-month ceasefire.On Thursday, Gaza's health ministry said at least 3,613 people had been killed in the territory since then, taking the war's […]

[ad_1] Suspended St. Louis CEMA head Sarah Russell The mayor of St. Louis has sent the city's emergency management chief on administrative leave, over non-activation of warning sirens ahead of a deadly tornado last week.Sarah Russell, the commissioner of the City Emergency Management Agency (CEMA), will remain on paid administrative leave as an external investigation is conducted into what went wrong, mayor Cara Spencer's office announced on Tuesday, according to CBS News.The tornado, which struck St. Louis on May 16, claimed at least five lives in this major city of the US' Missouri province.Spencer described it as "one of the worst storms, absolutely." What went wrong?As per the news outlet, St. Louis has 60 outdoor sirens which must be activated once the National Weather Service (NWS) issues a tornado warning for the area as it did last Friday. These can […]

[ad_1] Italy’s constitutional court ruled on Thursday that both women in a same-sex relationship can be legally recognised as parents on a child’s birth certificate, declaring it unconstitutional to limit parental recognition solely to the biological mother.The court found that denying recognition to the non-biological mother who consented to the medically assisted pregnancy and shares in raising the child violates the rights of children born into same-sex families.LGBTQ+ advocates hailed the ruling as a major milestone for civil rights in Italy. “This is a historic day for civil rights in Italy,” the group said, as quoted by the Associated Press.Rainbow families said in a statement, "At last, what we have been saying all along is being recognised: boys and girls have the right to see both parents recognised, from birth, even when they are two mothers."The group added that the […]

[ad_1] Representative Image (AI-generated) Haiti accused the Dominican Republic on Thursday of committing xenophobic acts and violating the rights of Haitian migrants, especially pregnant and nursing women, amid its growing deportation drive.The government of Dominican President Luis Abinader has stepped up deportations in recent months to Haiti, despite the nation's mounting insecurity from gang violence.Nearly 20,000 people were deported across the border in April, the UN said on Tuesday, including a "rising number of pregnant and breastfeeding women."It said UN and partner organizations had over the previous month "assisted an average of 15 pregnant women and 15 breastfeeding mothers per day."In a rare official response, Haiti's ministry of foreign affairs issued a statement noting broad mistreatment and saying its ambassador in the Dominican Republic would begin organizing voluntary repatriation convoys to bring citizens home "in dignified conditions." The ministry called […]

[ad_1] Representative Image (AI-generated) Argentine trade unions reacted angrily Thursday to a decree issued by President Javier Milei curtailing the right to strike in the education, shipping and other sectors.The libertarian Milei, in a decree published Wednesday, added several sectors to a list of essential services whose workers are required to provide a substantial level of service during strikes.The previous list designated air traffic controllers, hospital staff and energy sector workers as essential workers.Milei added education, fluvial and maritime shipping, port services, customs and telecommunications to the tally.The main labor confederation, the CGT, said the decree "attempts to erase the right to strike in Argentina in one fell swoop, without debate or prior analysis."Previously, in the event of a strike, companies, unions and public officials were required to reach agreement on what level of activity would be maintained.Under the new […]

[ad_1] Representative Image (AI-generated) Alaska's largest city has reached a USD 2.1 million settlement with the family of a 16-year-old girl who was holding a knife last August when she was fatally shot by a police officer.Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance's office said in a statement Thursday the settlement followed a meeting between police chief Sean Case and members of Easter Leafa's family. Terms of the agreement were not released.An attorney for the family, Darryl Thompson, confirmed the settlement amount announced by the city. "The Leafa family was devastated by the loss of young Easter Sally. Sadly, they were all there to witness this tragic event and were powerless to stop it from happening," Thompson said in a statement. "They have handled their loss with dignity and grace and are grateful that this phase of the healing is behind them." State […]

[ad_1] White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt (File) White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt clapped back at an NBC reporter who raised doubts over the credibility of a video played by US President Donald Trump allegedly depicting burial sites of white farmers in South Africa.Also Read: Donald Trump shows Cyril Ramaphosa evidence of 'white genocide' in South Africa during explosive Oval Office meetingWhile hosting his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa, Trump aired in the Oval Office a video which showed white crosses. The crosses, Trump alleged, were approximately "1,000 burial sites" of white Afrikaner South African farmers. The US president has repeatedly claimed white South African farmers are being "killed and forced off of their land."However, Yamiche Alcindor of NBC News questioned Leavitt about the video, amid reports the crosses were from a memorial demonstration following the murder of a […]

[ad_1] Donald Trump may no longer be able to run again, but that hasn’t stopped him from dominating the political fundraising game. The US president has already raised at least $600 million for his political causes, with a goal of reaching $1 billion ahead of the midterm elections next year, according to sources quoted by the Associated Press.Despite being a lame-duck president, Trump has kept a packed fundraising schedule. Those close to his team say the objective is simple — to keep a firm grip on the Republican Party, help push his second-term agenda, and ensure GOP control in Congress after next year’s elections.Trump, who once resisted asking donors for money, is now embracing fundraising with full force. “It’s leverage,” said Marc Short, a former top aide to both Trump and Mike Pence. “It’s a reflection of the power that […]

[ad_1] WASHINGTON: Two Israeli embassy staffers were killed by a lone gunman in Washington DC outside Capital Jewish Museum, just 2km from the White House, on Wednesday night. The suspect, identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez from Chicago, chanted "Free Palestine" after he was taken into custody.The victims, Yaron Lischinsky (30) and Sarah Lynn Milgrim (26) - a couple about to get engaged - were committed to building bridges between Arabs and Jews in hopes of ending bloodshed in West Asia, according to advocacy groups they belonged to.Israeli embassies around the world immediately stepped up security. Calling Rodriguez an "abhorrent murderer", PM Benjamin Netanyahu said, "We are witness to the terrible cost of antisemitism and wild incitement against Israel. Both must be fought to the utmost."President Trump posted on Truth Social, "These horrible killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW! […]