World
Senate blocks extending key surveillance program following backlash over Trump pick to lead intel
WASHINGTON | The Senate blocked an extension early Friday of a key surveillance program used by U.S. intelligence agencies as concerns mounted over President Donald Trump’s selection of federal housing finance regulator Bill Pulte to serve as director of national intelligence. Some Republicans joined Democrats in the 47-52 vote against a a procedural motion that […]
Hezbollah rejects latest ceasefire agreement as Israeli strikes kill 4 in Lebanon
BEIRUT | Hezbollah on Thursday rejected the latest ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Lebanese government, and the militant group demanded a complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon as more fighting there hampered efforts to end the Iran war. The Hezbollah announcement came as Israeli strikes killed at least four people, according to local authorities, and […]
Putin says Russia will bolster its air defenses in response to Ukrainian drone attacks
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia | President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Russia will strengthen its air defenses to counter recent Ukrainian drone attacks, which have reached deep inside his country and cast a cloud over his showcase economic forum in his hometown of St. Petersburg. Speaking in response to a question from The Associated Press during […]
US sanctions Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel in latest move to pressure island’s leadership
WASHINGTON | The United States imposed sanctions Thursday on Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, his wife and three other individuals, in the latest move by the Trump administration to pressure the island’s leadership that drew immediate condemnation from Havana. Included in the sanctions are Alejandro Castro Espín, the sole son of former Cuban President Raúl Castro […]
What to know about the growing opposition to Trump family-linked resort in Albania
TIRANA, Albania | A massive coastal development project linked to Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, is facing growing resistance from protesters in Albania. Police fired water cannon and clashed with protesters on Wednesday in the latest demonstration in the capital, Tirana. The government says the development on the Adriatic coast would […]
A garbage crisis engulfs Havana as fuel shortages stall trash pickup
HAVANA | On a recent afternoon in Cuba, the temperature climbed and anxiety grew among the residents of a Havana street. Their focus was an improvised dump site on the sidewalk with rotting food scraps, torn bags, cardboard and rubble. Swarms of flies and stray cats gathered around the trash whose stench wafted on the […]
FRIDAY NEWS IN A RUSH: Top headlines in today’s NewsMinute video
Read more A new playmaker in Denver, but no Bo Nix yet as Jaylen Waddle settles into the Broncos offense Read more Toon in Friday Read more Bennet, Weiser spar in second Dem debate for governor, find common ground on many issues
Police warn families of Tiananmen crackdown dead not to visit graves on 37th anniversary
BEIJING | Chinese authorities are snuffing out any remembrance of the deadly 1989 military crackdown on student-led pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square, which happened 37 years ago Thursday, in a further tightening in a yearslong campaign to erase what happened from public memory. Police told relatives of the victims they would not be allowed to […]
Presidential museum showcases political and personal sides of Obama with sprawling community campus
CHICAGO | Former President Barack Obama’s influence in his presidential museum runs deep, from the location on Chicago’s South Side to textured stone adorning its dramatic tower to striped reading chairs that resemble ones in his own home. The Obama Presidential Center opens to the general public on Juneteenth after a celebratory dedication in Chicago […]
Hezbollah rejects latest ceasefire agreement as Israeli strikes kill 4 in Lebanon
BEIRUT | Hezbollah on Thursday rejected the latest ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and the Lebanese government, and the militant group demanded a complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon as continued fighting there hampered moves to end the Iran war. The Hezbollah announcement came as Israeli strikes killed at least four people, according to local authorities, […]