NewsAFP NewsPalestinian president to visit China next week
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas will make a state visit to China next week, Beijing said Friday, after China expressed readiness to help facilitate Israeli-Palestinian peace talks."At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, president of the state of Palestine Mahmud Abbas will pay a state visit to China from June 13 to 16," foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said Friday.
NewsReuters VideosIndonesia volcano erupts, spewing ash into the sky
STORY: A thick, dark plume of ash was seen rising and headed in a southwestern direction as shown in a CCTV footage captured from the nearest outwatch post.The nearest settlements are located around 10 miles from the 515 ft-high volcano and no casualties and evacuations were reported after the eruption, said authorities. The agency warned residents not to conduct any activities within a three mile radius from the surrounding area.
NewsReuters VideosWildfires in western Canada blanket sky in smoke
STORY: Aerial footage filmed by the BC Wildfire Service showed wildfires burning around 10 km (6 miles) east of Tumbler Ridge in British Columbia and blanketing skies with dark smoke, with the area affected estimated to be around 9,600 hectares.The BC Wildfire Service added an increase in fire activity was expected with stronger winds forecast, which in turn would restrict firefighting efforts. Local authorities issued an evacuation order for the town of Tumbler Ridge.
BusinessReuters VideosGM to adopt Tesla charging standard
STORY: Tesla’s network of car chargers is one step closer to becoming the standard in one of the world’s biggest auto markets. On Thursday, General Motors joined Ford when it said it would partner with Tesla and adopt its charging technology. GM CEO Mary Barra and Tesla’s Elon Musk got on Twitter Spaces to announce GM will embrace the system, saying: “We have a real opportunity here to really drive this to be the unified standard for North America, which I think will even enable more mass adoption." Musk called the partnership “a fundamentally great thing for the advancement” of EVs. GM said that starting in 2025, like Ford, it will equip its electric vehicles with connectors based on Tesla’s tech. The move means three of the top EV sellers in the North American market have now agreed on a standard for charging hardware. According to U.S. Department of Energy data, Tesla Superchargers account for about 60 percent of the total fast chargers in the US and Canada. Investors applauded the deal and the prospect of Tesla's network as a standard. GM and Tesla shares went up 4 percent in after-hours trade. The alliance of the three carmakers has significant commercial and political implications. Under the Biden administration, if companies want to be eligible for billions of dollars of federal subsidies for new charging stations on the roads, they are required to adopt a rival to the Tesla system - a so-called “combined charging system” standard. The pact between Tesla, GM and Ford likely challenges that direction.
PoliticsAFP NewsTrump indicted in classified documents probe
Donald Trump said Thursday he has been indicted over his handling of classified documents after leaving office, the US ex-president's most serious legal threat yet as he pursues a second White House term.The Twitter account of Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee posted a repeated Trump slogan: "WITCH HUNT." Special counsel Jack Smith, named by US Attorney General Merrick Garland, has been looking into a cache of classified documents that Trump had stored at his Mar-a-Lago residence in F
PoliticsReuters VideosTrump indicted on federal charges over classified docs
STORY: Former U.S. President Donald Trump was told to show up at federal court next Tuesday in Miami, as he faces a second indictment, this time over his handling of classified materials after he left the White House.And this marks the first time in American history a former president has been indicted on federal charges, adding to his legal troubles as he runs for president again. The indictment remains under seal. Sources say Trump faces at least seven criminal counts in the federal case. It’s illegal for the government to comment on grand jury matters that haven’t been made public. However, Trump’s legal team would have been told what those seven charges were, as part of his summons. Reuters could not immediately learn what specific charges Trump was facing, and his attorneys did not immediately respond for a comment. Trump, who leads the GOP in the polls, targeted the Biden administration in a video posted on Thursday on his social media platform. “I am an innocent man, I am an innocent person.”“Our country is going to hell. They come after Donald Trump, weaponizing the Justice Department, weaponizing the FBI….”Around 100 documents bearing “classified” markings were recovered from Trump’s Palm Beach home last August. The Justice Department was looking into whether Trump unlawfully removed them when he left office in 2021, and whether he or others tried to block the government’s investigation. On Thursday reporters challenged Joe Biden about the Justice Department’s independence in relation to the case. “I have never once, not one single time, suggested to the Justice Department what they should do, or not do in terms of bringing a charge or not bringing a charge. I'm honest. Following news of the indictment, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, other Republicans such as Ron DeSantis, and billionaire Elon Musk tweeted messages to support Trump. Hofstra University Constitutional Law professor James Sample, says it's likely federal prosecutors will bring charges that are “serious” and “easy to prove” but he also said that doesn't mean Trump’s poll numbers will suffer. “And, in fact, it was striking to witness that when he was indicted in New York on the charges arising out of the Stormy Daniels affair and the classification of those expenditures, his poll numbers actually improved. Now, is that causation or is it merely correlation? It's very, very difficult to say. But one thing that we have learned over the last couple of years in particular is that the normal rules, the normal political assumptions that apply, seemingly don't apply in the same way to Donald Trump.” Trump is the first former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges. That’s after he pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records linked to hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. He also faces a much more serious criminal investigation by a county prosecutor in Georgia relating to his efforts to undo his 2020 election loss in that state.
NewsHuffPostRussian Man Mauled To Death By Tiger Shark Off Egypt's Red Sea Coast
The shark was later caught and authorities are examining it in a laboratory to try and determine the reasons for the rare attack.
PoliticsReuters VideosTrump indictment is 'hugely significant': expert
STORY: Donald Trump has been indicted by a federal grand jury for retaining classified government documents and obstruction of justice, according to a lawyer for the former U.S. president and another source familiar with the matter."Well, if you lied to federal prosecutors, it doesn't matter if you're the former president of the United States. And that's actually, while this is a serious and somber occasion, it's actually an example of one of the positives of America, accountability to the rule of law, even at the highest levels," said Sample, a professor of constitutional law at Hofstra University.The law professor added that Trump can still run for president."We live in a country where in the United States, rightly or wrongly, a convicted felon, even if he's convicted, can be elected president. He could even, in theory, serve as president while incarcerated."
NewsAFP NewsCrash landing on us! Swiss village reels from Netflix fame
"It's a dream come true," said Filipina tourist Isabel Palijon, staring in wonder at a wooden pier framed by the turquoise waters of a Swiss lake and the towering Alps behind.And it installed a turnstile at the pier, which tourists can pass for a "selfie fee" of five Swiss francs ($5.50).
NewsAFP NewsSyrians lose life-saving care as Turkey halts medical visits
Huddled inside a tent in rebel-held northwestern Syria, Umm Khaled says she fears her baby will die unless she gets specialist treatment in neighbouring Turkey for a congenital heart defect."When she cries, she turns blue and her heart beats very fast," Umm Khaled said, as her three other young children sat on the ground in their tent in the village of Halzoun.
NewsAFP NewsSudan declares UN envoy Volker Perthes 'persona non grata'
The Sudanese government has declared United Nations envoy Volker Perthes "persona non grata", two weeks after the army chief accused him of stoking the country's civil conflict and sought to have him removed from his post."The Government of the Republic of Sudan has notified the Secretary-General of the United Nations that it has declared Mr. Volker Perthes ... persona non grata as of today," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Thursday.
PoliticsHuffPostGOP Rushes To Trump's Defense After He Is Indicted For A Second Time
Many Republicans were quick to defend former President Trump after he was indicted by the Department of Justice over his handling of classified materials.
BusinessAFP NewsSmall shops boom as Cuban private sector takes hold
Like mushrooms after the rain, small stores are springing up all over Havana, many run from homes or garages as the private sector finally gains a foothold in communist Cuba.He lost his work in a restaurant that closed during the pandemic, then opened a Hawaiian fast-food restaurant with two friends, which they run from a private home.
NewsAFP NewsSmoke from Canadian wildfires cloaks eastern US with haze
Smoke from Canadian wildfires shrouded US cities in a noxious haze again Thursday, delaying flights and disrupting outdoor events in what President Joe Biden called a "stark reminder" of climate change."Millions of Americans are experiencing the effects of smoke resulting from devastating wildfires burning in Canada, another stark reminder of the impacts of climate change," Biden said in a statement.
NewsReuters VideosChina to establish spy facility in Cuba: WSJ
STORY: A report from the Wall Street Journal on Thursday said China has reached a secret deal with Cuba to establish a spy facility on the island nation.But the Biden Administration was quick to cast doubt on the report. Here’s Pentagon Press Secretary and Air Force Brigadier General Pat Ryder.“I can tell you, based on the information that we have, that that is not accurate, that we are not aware of China and Cuba developing any type of spy station. Separately, I would say that the relationship that those two countries share is something that we continuously monitor. I would say that that, as you've heard us say many times, China's activities, both in our hemisphere and around the world, any concerning activities are something that we will continue to watch closely. But in terms of that particular report, no, it's not accurate.”Cuba’s government ALSO cast doubt on the report, with vice foreign minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio calling it a U.S. fabrication meant to justify Washington's decades-old economic embargo against the island. A spy installation in Cuba, which is roughly 100 miles from Florida, would allow China to gather electronic communications from the southeastern U.S., which houses many U.S. military bases. Beijing would also be able to monitor ship traffic, the newspaper reported, citing U.S. officials familiar with classified intelligence. That is a concern of Jaganath Sankaran an assistant professor in the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas who conducts research on China’s military.“But I think the even more scary as part of the electronic intelligence aspect of how ships work, how and what frequency the ships on the ship-based carrier, based aircraft communicate on how do these work? I mean, so you're trying to get all this information in. That's very tough to get, especially if you're far away from the main operating base. So that shift, that ability to absorb over a long time and to make a map of how U.S. military assets communicate would be probably much more important if this comes into play.”According to the Journal report, citing officials, China and Cuba have reached an agreement in principle, with China to pay Cuba "several billion dollars" to allow the eavesdropping station.A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington said it was not aware of the case and couldn’t give a comment right now.The Journal said U.S. officials declined to provide more details about the proposed location of the spy station or whether construction had begun. The reported deal comes as Washington and Beijing are taking tentative steps to soothe tensions that spiked after a suspected Chinese high-altitude spy balloon crossed the United States before the U.S. military shot it down off the East Coast in February. Thursday's report could also raise questions about a trip to China that U.S. officials say Secretary of State Antony Blinken is planning in coming weeks. Washington's top diplomat had earlier scrapped the visit over the spy balloon incident.
CelebrityHuffPostKim Kardashian Says She's A 'Lights Off' Girl In The Bedroom
"I'm like, 'Wait, don't look at me!'" the reality star admitted.
CelebrityHuffPostNew Documentary Examines Rock Hudson's Hollywood Legacy ― And His Queer Truth
HBO's “Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed” presents the late actor as a cultural catalyst who enjoyed a "randy gay sex life" behind the scenes.
NewsAFP NewsFacing unprecedented fire season, Canada confronts logistical challenge
Larger and more powerful wildfires than ever have scorched millions of hectares of Canadian forests and displaced tens of thousands of residents.In a typical year, about 7,500 wildfires burn more than 2.5 million hectares of forests in Canada.
NewsHuffPostSearch History Leads To Arrest After Disappearance Of 51-Year-Old Woman: Police
Jesse Lee Williams allegedly searched “How do the cops trace a cell phone?” shortly before Paula Belonga went missing.
NewsReuters VideosShocked residents lay white roses at Annecy playground
STORY: The children wounded in the attack were aged between 22 months and three years. Two of the wounded children and one adult were in hospital in a life-threatening condition, while the other victims were less seriously hurt.Le Paquier park where the attack took place is popular with local people and tourists who swarm to Annecy in summer to boat on the lake's turquoise waters and hike in the nearby forested mountains.At least one of the wounded children was in a stroller, eyewitnesses said. One person who saw the attack, who gave his name as Ferdinand, told BFM TV: "(He) went towards the strollers, repeatedly hitting the little ones with a knife."The suspect was a 31-year-old Syrian refugee granted asylum in Sweden 10 years ago and in France legally, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said.Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said France had rejected an asylum request made by the suspect earlier this month, and that he had been carrying "certain Christian religious insignia".The local prosecutor leading the investigation said there was no indication that terrorism was the assailant's motivation. The suspect was under investigation for attempted murder.
NewsReuters VideosThe world under El Nino
STORY: After three years dominated by the cooler La Nina weather pattern... El Nino is now underway, according to a U.S. climate monitoring agency. The last time a strong El Nino was in full swing was 2016... when the world saw its hottest year on record. And scientists say this year looks particularly worrying. [NOAA CLIMATE SCIENTIST, TOM DI LIBERTO]“El Nino could lead to 2024 being one for the record books.” El Nino is a natural climate pattern borne out of unusually warm waters in the eastern Pacific... though scientists are not entirely sure what kicks off the cycle. It's likely to yield extreme weather later this year - from tropical cyclones - to heavy rainfall.Tom Di Liberto is a climate scientist with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "El Nino is not like a storm. El Nino is not going to hit you on Tuesday. El Nino is all about changing the kind of patterns that weather plays in. So, when we talk about a moderate or strong event, that's basically saying that El Nino has a stronger influence on creating the atmospheric patterns that might stay around a while for a period of time.” During an El Nino the southern U.S. sees cooler and wetter weather, while parts of the U.S. West and Canada are warmer and drier. Hurricane activity usually falters in the Atlantic... but in the Pacific, tropical cyclones get a boost. Australia usually endures extreme heat, drought and bushfires. Parts of Central and South America may experience heavy rainfall. The Horn of Africa could see a reprieve after five consecutive failed rainy seasons. Weather anomalies can be more extreme depending on where waters are warmest, making things drier or wetter in certain regions.“...the Atlantic is very, very warm. The Western Pacific is pretty warm. The Indian Ocean is really warm. So that in and of itself, even if there wasn't an El Nino, would mean that there's an increased risk for coral bleaching in tons of different places around the globe.” There's also concern that global sea surface temperatures could supercharge extreme weather.During the last El Nino, anchovy stocks off Peru’s coast crashed and nearly a third of the corals on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef died. While climate change is doubling down on the impacts from El Nino, whether climate change influences the phenomenon itself is less clear. “Most of the warmest years on record that we've seen in the past have happened due to the influence of El Nino, because it gives that little bit extra push on to the global temperatures on top of the warming that we're already causing due to human caused climate change.”
PoliticsHuffPostAmid Crippling Wildfire Smoke, White House Memo Blasts GOP Climate Denial
The administration accused House Republicans of subscribing to “debunked conspiracy theories that deny the existence and nature of climate change.”
NewsAFP NewsEU reaches long-stalled deal on refugee hosting
EU nations on Thursday reached agreement on a long-stalled revision of the bloc's rules to share the hosting of asylum seekers and migrants more equitably. The priority is for EU countries to share the hosting of asylum-seekers, taking in many that arrive in nations on the bloc's outer rim, mainly Greece and Italy.
NewsHuffPostGov. Greg Abbott Announces Texas Will Secure Its Border With Buoys
The first 1,000 feet of buoys will be placed in the Rio Grande at the city of Eagle Pass.
EntertainmentReuters VideosTribeca Film Festival kicks off under smoky skies
STORY: “Something always happens. And lo and behold… A forest fire, a forest fire in Canada that broke - and the winds were coming in our direction that we've hadn’t experienced in the city that I don't think on record we've ever had as far as I know,” said actor and festival co-founder Robert De Niro.The event, in its 22nd edition this year, took place under state and city protocols, according to its co-founder Jane Rosenthal.The two-week festival opened with the film “Kiss the Future”, a documentary co-produced by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck telling the story of the 1992 Siege of Saravejo.