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Democrats banking on undecided Latinos for path to White House
Sonia Villamizar has never cast a vote in the United States, despite becoming a citizen two decades ago. And then there are Latinos like Villamizar, who are registered but have simply chosen not to vote, at least so far.
Israelis learn Krav Maga fighting art amid Gaza War
Inside an occupied West Bank settlement, ultra-Orthodox martial arts instructor Moshe Katz oversees students role-playing events from the October 7 Hamas attacks, teaching them how to reverse the guns in a hostage scenario. The Israeli settlement he calls home, like all those in the occupied West Bank, is considered illegal under international law.
Trump says spoke with Zelensky, pledges to 'end the war'
US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said Friday he had spoken by telephone with Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky, and pledged to end the European country's war with Russia. Trump told the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Thursday that he would bring an end to raging international crises, saying he could "stop wars with a telephone call."
Bruce Springsteen is officially a billionaire
The Boss is officially a billionaire, Forbes said Friday, estimating that Bruce Springsteen is conservatively worth $1.1 billion. The guitar hero bard behind hits including "The River" has solidified much of his wealth in recent years, the financial outlet indicated, in no small part due to a blockbuster sale in 2021 of his music catalog to Sony for an estimated half-a-billion dollars.
Conspiracy theories take off after global IT crash
From fearmongering about a looming "World War III" to false narratives linking a cabal of global elite to a cyberattack, a torrent of online conspiracy theories took off Friday after a major IT crash. "I read somewhere once that ww3 (World War III) would be mostly a cyber war," one user wrote on X. The IT crash also stirred up an unfounded theory that the World Economic Forum -- long a magnet for wild falsehoods -- had plotted a global cyberattack.
Tunisia president says he will seek new term in October election
Tunisian President Kais Saied, who grabbed wide-ranging powers two years after his 2019 election, announced on Friday he will seek a new five-year term in an election set for October. In his announcement Friday, Saied called on "everyone preparing to sponsor (candidates) to steer off any corruption".
US to phase out federal purchase of single-use plastics
President Joe Biden's administration on Friday announced plans to phase out single-use plastics in all federal operations by 2035, as part of a broader effort to combat what it deemed a rising global crisis. Under the new goal, the federal government will "phase out federal procurement of single-use plastics from food service operations, events, and packaging by 2027, and from all federal operations by 2035."
CrowdStrike crash raises questions about tech dependency
Catastrophic computer outages caused by a software update from one company have once again exposed the dangers of global technological dependence on a handful of players, experts warned on Friday. The outages affected companies or individuals that use CrowdStrike on the Microsoft Windows platform: when they applied the update, the incompatible software crashed computers into a frozen state known as the "Blue Screen of Death."
40 Haitian migrants dead after voodoo ritual sets boat ablaze
At least 40 migrants have died after a boat they were traveling in caught fire off the northern coast of Haiti, a UN agency said Friday, with police saying the explosion was sparked by a voodoo ritual gone wrong. But "at least 40 migrants have died, and several others were injured," the IOM said.
New York judge sets tentative November date for Weinstein retrial
A New York judge on Friday set a tentative November date for the retrial of disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein on sexual assault charges. Judge Curtis Farber, at a brief hearing in a Manhattan courtroom on Friday, set a tentative start date of November 12 for Weinstein's retrial.
Iran can produce fissile material for bomb in 'one or two weeks': Blinken
Iran is capable of producing fissile material for use in a nuclear weapon within "one or two weeks," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday. "Instead of being at least a year away from having the breakout capacity of producing fissile material for a nuclear weapon, (Iran) is now probably one or two weeks away from doing that," Blinken said.
Belarus sentences German man to death: rights group
A German combat medic accused by Belarus of committing crimes including "terrorism" and "mercenary activity" has been sentenced to death by firing squad, a Belarusian rights group said Friday. Belarus is the only European country that has the death penalty, reserving it for serious crimes including murder under aggravating circumstances, terrorism and treason.
Defiant Biden vows to stay despite growing revolt
US President Joe Biden pledged to stay in the White House race Friday, defying a growing Democratic party revolt that raised speculation he could bow out as soon as this weekend. The scene could now be set for the most crucial weekend of Biden's presidency, with media speculation that the US leader is using his time hunkered down in Rehoboth Beach to consult family members and mull over the path ahead.
COP29 hosts urge fossil fuel majors to donate to climate fund
Azerbaijan said Friday it hopes to raise money from fossil fuel producers for green projects in developing countries as the petro-state prepares to host the world's most important climate summit. Azerbaijan "has also set itself a daunting task of soliciting the support of some of the least progressive countries in global climate action," he told AFP. Joe Thwaites from the Natural Resources Defense Council said making fossil fuel producers pay was "at the core of climate justice".
Pogacar wins 19th stage to close on Tour de France triumph
Tadej Pogacar climbed to a convincing victory on stage 19 of the Tour de France on Friday, extending his overall lead over defending champion Jonas Vingegaard to close on a historic Tour-Giro double. Pogacar is also two stages away from a Giro d'Italia and Tour de France double, which would be a first in 26 years.
Trump triumphs in Milwaukee as Biden crisis deepens
America is witnessing a split-screen moment for the ages: a wounded but triumphant Donald Trump uniting Republicans behind his White House bid as his Democratic rival Joe Biden's campaign teeters on a cliff edge. On stage, Trump's former adversaries and rival White House hopefuls Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley urged Republicans to get behind his candidacy.
Kenya's embattled Ruto names new partial cabinet
Kenya's embattled President William Ruto on Friday unveiled a new partial cabinet as he works to create a "broad-based" government, his latest bid to ease the worst crisis of his nearly two-year term in office. "Consequently, I have started the process of forming a new broad-based cabinet to assist in driving the urgently needed and irreversible transformation of our country."
Paris shops, restaurants say Olympics hammering business
Paris shops, restaurants, bars and clubs are facing an "unprecedented slump in business and footfall", trade groups said Friday, blaming in part the "heavy security measures" imposed ahead of the Olympic Games starting July 26. One example was the Trocadero square near the Eiffel Tower in western Paris, where restaurants are "suffering access restrictions that have sent footfall plunging by 70 percent", they said.
Global IT outage: The main sectors affected
A massive IT blackout on Friday affected a wide range of sectors around the world, from Japan to the United States. - Other sectors - In Japan, some operations at McDonald's restaurants were disrupted, and in Australia, self-service checkout terminals at one of the country's largest supermarket chains displayed error messages.
Drone warfare: what threat do Yemen's Huthis pose to Israel?
Yemen's Huthi rebels, who claimed a deadly strike far from their borders inside Israel early Friday, have built up a significant drone arsenal. It is the first operation claimed by the rebels against Tel Aviv and is their first to cause a fatality in Israel.
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