world
- NewsReuters Videos
'Heartbroken': families seek justice after SA teen deaths
STORY: South African authorities say 21 teenagers found dead at an east coast tavern over the weekend were probably killed by something they ate, drank or smoked.The as-yet unexplained deaths in the city of East London have shocked the nation and brought an outpouring of grief.Some of the deceased were celebrating end of school exams, others a birthday party.The youngest, according to police, was a 13-year-old girl.Outside a prayer service Yandiswa Ngqoza, aunt to one of the teenagers, said her family is heartbroken.“We lost one of our family members - a child who was doing grade 12 this year. We can’t accept it. We are one of the poorest families and as we are standing here right now we need justice because we don’t know what happened.”Initial media reports had suggested a crush was a possible cause of death.But Unathi Binqose, spokesperson for the Eastern Cape's provincial community safety department, said this had been ruled out "completely".On Monday (June 27) he said it was "either something they ingested which will point to poisoning... or it is something they inhaled".Authorities are expected to produce a toxicology report as part of the investigation.President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday (June 26) said he was worried about the circumstances in which young people were allowed to gather at the tavern.It's illegal to serve drinks to under-18s in South Africa.A spokesperson for the Eastern Cape Liquor Board said the premises in question had its liquor license revoked on Monday.
- NewsReuters Videos
Parade of Volkswagen Beetles cruise Mexico City roads
STORY: The 13th annual edition of the Beetle parade, organised by different fan clubs in the Mexican capital, commemorates the celebration of the popular vehicle on June 22.The “bug,” or “vocho,” as the Beetle was nicknamed, debuted in 1938 as an affordable vehicle commissioned by Adolf Hitler to promote car ownership among Germans.63-Year-old public servant Roberto Martinez told Reuters:“My dad owned many Volkswagens, I learned to drive in a Volkswagen I always liked them and that is why I have one. It is incredible that people go crazy about the beetle, ‘vocho,’ ‘fusca.’ Each country has a different nickname, but it is still a sedan.”With its recognizable design and inexpensive price, the car became a success story over subsequent decades and was one of the top-selling models of all time as well as the best-selling import in the United States in the 1960s, according to auto publications.Despite its place in popular culture, sales of the Beetle had been lackluster in recent years. The German automaker announced in 2018 that the Beetle would go extinct.
- PoliticsReuters Videos
Captured Russian artillery displayed in Poland
STORY: According to information compiled by the Ukrainian defense ministry and displayed alongside the captured artillery, the T-72B tank was destroyed in a tank battle in the Bucha district near Kyiv, while the 2S19 MSTA-S howitzer was captured in the north-eastern Sumy region.Among the onlookers were Taras and Victoria, a husband and wife from the western city of Lviv who left Ukraine several years ago."We wanted to see how it actually looks and how the Russian military looks like especially in this state," Taras said."We saw and destroyed many of those tanks," said James, a 56-year old lawyer from Oregon in the United States who said he had been fighting alongside the Ukrainian army before coming to Poland."Morale is still very high," he said, saying Ukrainians were fighting for their homes and families.Long suspicious of Russian intentions in central and eastern Europe, Poland has positioned itself as one of Kyiv's staunchest allies since President Vladimir Putin's forces invaded Ukraine on February 24, in what Russia describes as a "special operation".
- NewsReuters Videos
London lions prep for pride with a rainbow heart
STORY: The ZSL London Zoo's asiatic lioness Arya was seen curiously sniffing and scratching on the heart while male lion Bhanu could be seen keeping more of a distance.The heart was handmade by zookeepers and scented with ginger and cardamom - the lions' favorite spices - as a sensory treat.According to the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), the pair of asiatic lions are among the rarest and largest cats. Asiatic lions survive in the wild in only one forest in India.The display comes ahead of London's annual pride parade on Saturday, July 2.
CelebrityHuffPostBen Affleck's 10-Year-Old Son Drives Lamborghini Rental Into Parked Car
No harm done, said the dealer after viral video showed young Samuel Affleck, his famous father and Jennifer Lopez in their misadventure.
- NewsReuters Videos
G7 spouses take a walk on the sidelines
STORY: On the first day of the G7 summit, partners of the G7 leaders took a stroll with hiking poles in a Nordic Walking Tour around Lake Ferchensee in Mittenwald.The three-day G7 summit started on Sunday, June 26, and takes place in the picturesque Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps.
- PoliticsReuters Videos
Crisis-hit Sri Lanka almost out of fuel
STORY: In the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, schools have closed their doors and public employees been asked to work from home.The island nation, home to 22 million people, is battling its worst economic crisis in seven decades.Foreign exchange reserves are at an historic low, and the country is struggling to pay for essential imports of food, medicine and most critically, fuel.At gas stations, troops are handing out tokens to those waiting in rapidly growing queues.49-year-old motorist K. Shamugarajan is one of those who has received a token that is meant to hold his place in the line for when fuel becomes available.“I have been here since midnight on Friday (June 24). When we got here, they had stopped pumping petrol. I don’t know whether I will get petrol or not. For the moment, they've given me a token. Although I got a token, I don’t know if I will receive petrol, or if they are trying to fool us. The money I had to pump petrol is now gone. Somebody has gone away and says he will bring me some money. Only when he returns, can I pump petrol.”But with no fresh shipments due, it is not immediately clear how far the government can stretch its fuel reserves.On Sunday (June 27), the government announced the country was down to just 15,000 tons of petrol and diesel to keep essential services running in the coming days.Despite vast queues at gas stations, public transport, power generation, and medical services will get priority in fuel distribution.Ports and airports will also receive some rations.Sri Lanka’s Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera has warned the situation may get worse.“I believe that until the financial situation is managed, we will have to face various challenges. Sometimes we might be able to do away with petrol queues completely, sometimes there will be occasions where we cannot stop the queues. I believe that we cannot obtain $550-600 million dollars in the coming months. We will definitely have to reduce our consumption to $350 million dollars.”A team from the International Monetary Fund is visiting Sri Lanka to hold talks on a $3-billion bailout package.Although the Indian Ocean nation is hoping to reach a staff-level agreement before the visit ends on Thursday (June 30), that is unlikely to unlock any immediate funds.
NewsAFP NewsPakistani migrants in Afghanistan caught in quake no-man's land
When Gul Nayeb Khan tried to claim a parcel of aid for earthquake victims being handed out in eastern Afghanistan at the weekend, he was turned away because he is Pakistani -- one of thousands of migrants caught in limbo between the two countries.
NewsAFP NewsSri Lanka electricity firm seeks 835% price rise
Sri Lanka's heavily loss-making state-run electricity monopoly asked for a shocking price rise of over 800 percent for its poorest customers with the bankrupt nation out of fuel, regulators said Monday.
NewsAFP NewsKyiv's plans to ban works in Russian divide book lovers
Ukraine plans to ban many books in Russian as part of a wartime battle against propaganda, but the new law has divided both literature fans and booksellers alike.
- PoliticsReuters Videos
Stoltenberg: NATO to increase high-readiness forces
STORY: "We will transform the NATO response force and increase the number of our high-readiness forces to well over 300,000," he told reporters ahead of a NATO summit in Madrid later this week.NATO's quick reaction force, the NATO response force, so far has some 40,000 troops.At the Madrid summit, NATO will also change its language on Russia that in the alliance's last strategy from 2010 was still described as a strategic partner.Stoltenberg said he would meet with the leaders of NATO, Turkey, Finland and Sweden on Tuesday (June 28) before the Madrid summit to discuss the Nordic countries' bids to join the alliance."I will not make any promises but I can just reassure that we are working actively to ensure progress," Stoltenberg said.
NewsAFP NewsProtests after 'chilling' arrest of India rights activist
Protests were held in several Indian cities Monday over the arrest of a rights activist who attempted to have Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared complicit in deadly sectarian riots 20 years ago.
HealthHuffPostMy Husband And I Are Trying To Start A Family. Six Months Ago, I Had An Abortion.
"Our choice was, and remains, controversial. But it shouldn’t be."
EntertainmentHuffPostAlec Baldwin Says Woody Allen Will Join Him In WTF Instagram Live Interview
"I love you, Woody," Baldwin said in announcing the chat between the two controversial figures.
- LifestyleReuters Videos
Cuba Zoo introduces newborn white rhino
STORY: Ale, the male white rhino was born on June 9 without assistance from the zoo's vets, who were taken aback when they found out about its birth while on a normal tour on the African prairie at the zoo.His mother, Katherine, had previously given birth to a female rhino, Mel, in 2019, resuming the captive reproduction cycle of white rhinos in Cuba after a 21-year hiatus.“It makes us very happy to have a new white rhino specimen in our centre since we have not had this species bred for years," said Alexander Arango, exotic fauna specialist at Cuba's National Zoo.The goal of the Zoo's experts is to ensure white rhinos continue reproducing successfully in hopes to repopulate the endangered species.
PoliticsHuffPostQ&A With Rep. Mondaire Jones: NY-10 Democratic Candidate Wants To Build Progressive Coalitions
“I am uniquely good at building coalitions that extend far outside of the progressive movement.”
NewsHuffPostCandidate Cop Quits Race After Arrest For Allegedly Punching Female Rival At Roe Protest
“I will not be running for any office this fall,” Providence Police Officer Jeann Lugo said after violence erupted at the Rhode Island State House.
PoliticsHuffPostAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez Says Anti-Roe Trump Justices Should Be Impeached For 'Lying'
The progressive House member said conservative judges nominated by Donald Trump misrepresented their Roe v. Wade views during confirmation hearings.
- BusinessReuters Videos
Google hit with new EU antitrust complaint
STORY: Google was hit with a new antitrust complaint on Monday (June 27), filed to EU regulators by a Danish online job-search rival.Jobindex alleges the Alphabet unit has used its market power to favour its own job search service.Google for Jobs launched in Europe in 2018 and triggered criticism from 23 online job-search websites, including Jobindex, the following year.The latest complaint could accelerate EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager's scrutiny of Google For Jobs three years after it first came under her microscope.The European Commission and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Vestager has fined Google more than $8.4 billion in recent years for various anti-competitive practices. Google has previously said it made changes in Europe after complaints from online job-search rivals.Jobindex founder and CEO Kaare Danielsen said his company had built up the largest jobs database in Denmark by the time Google for Jobs entered the local market last year. But he said it soon lost 20% of search traffic to Google.He said Google wasn't just stifling competition, but also harming labor markets.Jobindex said it had seen examples of free-riding, with some of its own job ads copied without its permission.
- NewsReuters Videos
Survivors of Afghan quake struggle to find shelter
STORY: Days after a massive earthquake killed more than 1000 people in eastern Afghanistan, survivors have been busy salvaging what's left of their belongings.Last Wednesday's quake struck some of the most remote parts of the country, which has made reaching those affected all the more hard.Deep in the mountains, in Paktika province, Meena Gul is one of those struggling to rebuild his life."Our home has been destroyed, the women and children are here with me. We have no home, no tent, and we have not received any tents so far. Women and children are living outside among the destruction, there aren't any toilets, nor anything else. There is no place for us to live."Afghanistan's health ministry says thousands of people are in need of clean water and food.The U..N has warned that cholera outbreaks are of particular and serious concern.The situation is a real test for the Taliban, who seized control of the country last year following the withdrawal of U.S.-led international forces.The hardline group has since been shunned by many foreign governments due to concerns about human rights.On the ground, the people of Afghanistan are looking to their leaders for help.Abdul Rehman is one of them.He told Reuters he lost 11 family members in the earthquake.“I am very sad. We want the government to build our houses for us. I am not hungry for food so much. That is not so difficult. Construction is difficult. We want help with this most. Because it’s the sun and heat now. Then winter will come. We are poor people.”The United Nations, and several other countries, have rushed aid to the affected areas.More is due to arrive over the coming days.Meanwhile, Afghan authorities are calling on international governments to roll back sanctions.They also want the freeze on billions of dollars in central bank assets stashed in Western financial institutions to be lifted.
- PoliticsReuters Videos
Russia defaults on debt for first time in century
STORY: Russia has defaulted on its sovereign bonds for the first time since the Bolshevik revolution over a century ago.Some bondholders said Monday (June 27) that they had not received overdue interest payments.The deadline for making those payments passed a day earlier.Russia has struggled to keep up payments on $40 billion in outstanding bonds since sanctions were imposed on it over the war in Ukraine.The Kremlin says it’s not for lack of money.It blames restrictions that make it impossible to send payments to bondholders.Moscow accuses the West of trying to drive it into an artificial default.Since late May the U.S. Treasury Department has effectively blocked Russia from making international payments.For now any default will be largely symbolic though.Russia can’t borrow internationally at the moment, and doesn’t need to thanks to plentiful oil and gas revenues.However, the stigma of default is likely to raise its borrowing costs in the future.The payments in question now concern $100 million in interest on two bonds.A U.S. official said Monday that the default showed how severely sanctions were affecting Russia.
NewsReutersAt flooded cancer hospital in northeast India, chemotherapy given on the road outside
Whenever the rain relents, staff at a waterlogged cancer hospital in northeast India seize the chance to administer chemotherapy to patients on the road outside, creating a pitiful image of the misery caused by the region's worst floods in years. Located in the Barak valley in Assam state, the 150-bed Cachar Cancer Hospital and Research Centre has been inundated by for days, and the situation has become so dire that its administrators have requested life-jackets and an inflatable raft to transport patients and staff, along with other essential items needed to keep the facility running. "Procedures that can be done outside, like chemotherapy and initial diagnosis, we are doing on the road where there is minimal water-logging," said Dharshana R, who heads the resource-mobilisation department of the hospital.
NewsAFP NewsAfghan quake relief focus shifts to long term
International and local relief organisations are shifting their focus from the immediate to longer term for areas of Afghanistan hit by last week's killer earthquake, officials said Monday.
- HealthReuters Videos
Meet the winner of the 'World's Ugliest Dog' contest
STORY: "Mr. Happy Face" came all the way from Flagstaff, Arizona, with his owner, 48-year-old musician Jeneda Benally, who calls herself his emotional support human."It feels incredible that there's recognition of true inner beauty and that is just amazing. So I don't know that I feel like I've got the world's ugliest dog. I know I've got the world's most lovable dog," Benally said, adding that they believe he's 17 years old."Mr. Happy Face" blew away the judges and the crowd with his crooked head, gray mohawk, hairless, pimple-ridden body, awkward hobble, and snort-like breathing.With the backing of the audience, he was the clear winner.
- PoliticsReuters Videos
UK could implement N.Ireland trade changes this year - PM
STORY: The legislation, which would unilaterally replace parts of that bilateral deal known as the Northern Ireland protocol, is due to be sent back to parliament's lower house for a second reading. That is one of the stages of the law's passage through the legislature.Tensions have simmered for months after Britain accused the EU of a heavy-handed approach to the movement of goods between Britain and Northern Ireland - checks needed to keep an open border with EU member Ireland.Johnson says the new legislation will bring about "relatively trivial" changes to the protocol to ease trade within the United Kingdom, but the EU has launched legal proceedings against Britain over it.Asked if the changes could be implemented this year, Johnson told broadcasters: "Yes, I think we could do it very fast, parliament willing."Speaking at a G7 meeting in Bavaria ahead of a planned virtual address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Johnson also said that leaders at the summit continued to be united in their support for Ukraine.
