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Indonesia scraps plan to change election rules after protests
Indonesian lawmakers scrapped a controversial plan to change election rules, a parliament official announced Thursday, after thousands rallied in the capital over a move seen to help the outgoing president build a political dynasty. With thousands of protesters clamouring outside parliament, lawmakers initially delayed Thursday's session.
India's Modi urges peace ahead of historic Ukraine visit
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said no conflict could be resolved on a battlefield as he spoke in Poland on the eve of his historic trip to war-torn Ukraine. "It is India's strong belief that no problem can be resolved on a battlefield," Modi said in Poland, a staunch ally of neighbouring Ukraine and a key transit point for leaders boarding trains to Kyiv.
'Let us choose joy!' Oprah Winfrey urges US voters
US talk show host Oprah Winfrey made a surprise appearance at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Wednesday, calling on her fellow independent voters to vote for "joy". "So I'm calling on all you independents and all you undecideds.
UK tycoon's body found in sunken yacht, one woman still missing
The body of UK tech tycoon Mike Lynch was recovered Thursday from his sunken yacht off Sicily, as the search continued for the last of the six people missing -- his teenage daughter. Fifteen people were rescued, including Lynch's wife, but the businessman and his daughter were among six people reported missing.
Israeli police say 4 arrested in settler attack on Palestinians
The Israeli police and internal security service said Thursday they arrested four suspects for "terrorist" acts against Palestinians during a deadly settler attack last week on an occupied West Bank village. "Overnight, the (Shin Bet security service) and Israeli Police arrested four individuals, three adults and a minor, suspected in several acts of terrorism against Palestinians," the security agencies said in a statement.
War cook: Ukrainian soldier-influencer's winning recipe
Standing amid ruins in east Ukraine, Ruslan Mokrytskyi held a combat knife and concentrated on cutting onions without crying. Back on his cooking spree, the aroma of hot parmesan was rising above the ruins and Mokrytskyi emptied the pasta onto the plastic plates of his comrades.
Kenya police offer reward for escaped serial killer suspect
Kenyan police offered a cash reward on Thursday for information leading to the arrest of a suspected serial killer who escaped from a Nairobi police cell. "A significant cash reward will be provided to anyone with credible information leading to the suspect's arrest," the DCI said, without specifying an amount.
S. Korean drill to prepare for attack met with confusion
South Korea held a nationwide drill on Thursday that sowed confusion in the capital as traffic was brought to a standstill and thousands of civilians practised emergency evacuations. Thousands of pedestrians and government employees cleared from streets and offices, while traffic stopped in some areas, causing confusion and frustration.
French court dismisses appeal in Agent Orange case
A Paris court Thursday rejected an appeal by a French-Vietnamese woman who has been trying to sue Monsanto and other makers of Agent Orange for the chemical's use in the Vietnam War. The Paris Court of Appeal used the same argument in rejecting Nga's claim.
War-battered Gaza faces uphill battle against polio
The Gaza Strip's first recorded polio case in 25 years has health workers and aid agencies grappling with the steep obstacles to conducting mass vaccination in the war-torn Palestinian territory. According to the United Nations, Gaza had not registered a case for 25 years, although type 2 poliovirus was detected in samples collected from the territory's wastewater in June.
Floods swamp Bangladesh as nation finds its feet after protests
Floods triggered by torrential rains have swamped a swath of low-lying Bangladesh, disaster officials said Thursday, adding to the new government's challenges after weeks of political turmoil. "Around 2.9 million people have been affected and more than 70,000 people have been taken to shelters," Mohammad Nazmul Abedin, senior official in the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, told AFP. Long-time premier Sheikh Hasina quit as prime minister this month and fled to India after weeks of deadly student-led protests, ending her 15-year autocratic rule.
Democrats pull out all the stops to rally young voters in Chicago
Electronic music, friendship bracelets and condoms: the Democrats have pulled out all the stops to attract young Americans to their convention in Chicago, an electorate that will be crucial to their chance of winning the November election. - Very close election - While young people have historically voted for the Democrats, mobilizing them this time around is crucial for the party, as the election promises to be very close.
Far-right firebrand Hoecke draws crowds in eastern Germany
German far-right politician Bjoern Hoecke has caused outrage with his inflammatory Nazi rhetoric, but the controversy has not deterred his supporters in the eastern town of Sonneberg. Hoecke was fined twice this year for using a banned Nazi slogan and has previously caused controversy with statements such as calling Berlin's Holocaust monument a "memorial of shame".
Swift says filled with 'fear', 'guilt' after Vienna terror threat
Pop megastar Taylor Swift on Wednesday broke her silence about the cancellation of three Vienna concerts over an alleged suicide attack plot, saying the incident filled her with "fear" and "guilt." The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many had planned on coming to those shows," the American said in a post on social media platform Instagram.
Indonesia's first Paralympic archers take aim at gold
Five Indonesian archers who have lost an arm or a leg train together under the bright Central Javan sun, drawing their bows and closing one eye to shoot at targets as they prepare for the Paralympics in Paris this month. - Teeth targets - Kholidin, one of the gold medallists in June, is the only Indonesian Paralympic archer who can't draw the bow by the arm after his right limb was amputated following a fall from a coconut tree in 2017.
South Korean pet care goes high-tech with AI diagnostics
When five-year-old goldendoodle Mozzi started walking "unnaturally", his concerned owner rushed him to the vet in South Korea, where the problem was diagnosed not by humans but by AI. South Korea, a global leader in the production of chips that power generative AI, has been quick to embrace novel uses of the technology. Vets say it has transformed their ability to diagnose.
Quit the 'cult', anti-Trump Republicans plead at DNC
While Democratic luminaries including the Obamas enthusiastically support Kamala Harris for US president at their party's convention, an unlikely band of rebels is joining the effort: Republicans urging fellow conservatives to ditch Donald Trump. "If you vote for Kamala Harris in 2024 you're not a Democrat, you're a patriot," he boomed.
Fragile but unbroken, Afghan glassblowers refuse to quit
Seated in front of a searing furnace, Ghulam Sakhi Saifi teases forth sinews of molten blue glass -- the guardian of an Afghan glassblowing trade refusing to break with tradition. But when the furnace is lit, Saifi is in his element.
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