A federal program that helps schools and libraries across the country afford their monthly internet bills could soon be on the chopping block, as the head of the Federal Communications Commission has called for a review of the subsidy.
The FCC chairman asked for the program to be examined — a move that could ultimately lead to its elimination. Notably, the chairman had already been calling for an end to the program before he was selected for his current position.
The program works by funneling money collected from consumer fees through the federal government, which then helps schools and libraries reduce what they pay for internet service each month. Both public schools and some private schools benefit from the arrangement.
If the subsidy is cut, schools that rely on the program could face much steeper internet bills, potentially affecting students’ access to online resources and technology in the classroom.
Audi, the premium vehicle brand owned by German automaker Volkswagen, announced Friday that its worldwide deliveries dropped 7% during the first six months of this year compared to the same stretch in 2024.
The brand pointed to two major factors behind the decline: fierce market competition in China and the burden of U.S. tariffs, both of which weighed heavily on consumer demand.
In China, deliveries tumbled by nearly one-fifth during the January through June period. North American deliveries also suffered a significant blow, falling roughly 17% over the same timeframe.
The automaker addressed the situation in a formal statement, saying, “The market environment in China remains challenging and highly competitive.” The company cited pricing pressure, climbing fuel costs, and shifts in government subsidy policies as contributing factors to the difficult conditions.
A self-driving taxi company took the unusual step of remotely disabling one of its vehicles and contacting police after two teenage passengers allegedly engaged in troubling behavior during their ride.
The two 15-year-olds were reportedly drinking alcohol and firing toy guns from inside the driverless cab when the company intervened, shutting the vehicle down and alerting authorities.
The incident has reignited debate over how much autonomous vehicle companies monitor their passengers — and what they do with that information. Critics say the episode raises serious questions about rider privacy in an era of increasingly automated transportation.
KHARTOUM — In the year since Sudan’s military recaptured its capital city from a paramilitary group that had seized control at the beginning of the country’s civil war in 2023, more than two million of the five million people who abandoned their Khartoum homes have made their way back.
Despite government promises of a swift return to normalcy following the military victory, the reality on the ground tells a different story. Electricity remains largely unavailable, structures damaged during the fighting still stand in disrepair, and many workers have not received their paychecks. A number of returnees say they came back not by choice, but out of desperation — driven home by a crackdown on refugees in neighboring Egypt.
The government had relocated its ministries and administrative offices to the coastal city of Port Sudan during the conflict. Officials have since ordered civil servants back to their desks in Khartoum. Students, who had been allowed to attend classes online and sit for exams at temporary locations in other cities or even overseas, have now been directed to return to their school buildings.
Nisreen Altayeb was among those who escaped to Egypt with her family. She made the decision to return after authorities there began cracking down on refugees around the beginning of this year.
“We left Sudan in the first place because of the lack of security, but then we started finding the same thing. It wasn’t safe in Egypt,” Altayeb said.
When word spread that conditions back home were improving, she and her family chose to return. Now she is trying to resume her career as a schoolteacher, but like many other government employees, she has yet to receive even her modest salary.
LIMITED SIGNS OF RECOVERY
Whatever recovery has taken shape has been largely confined to Omdurman, Khartoum’s neighboring city on the other side of the White Nile, where the army had kept a partial foothold throughout the conflict. Khartoum itself, along with Bahri city to the north, continues to operate with little to no electricity or basic services.
The RSF paramilitary group has kept up drone attacks on power stations and military sites around the capital, making the road to recovery even harder.
Altayeb Saadeldin, a spokesman for the Khartoum state government, said those ongoing strikes have reduced the capital’s electricity supply to just one-third of what it was before the war.
“That third is being distributed so we can provide people for 8 hours a day,” he said.
The University of Khartoum sits in one of the most heavily damaged sections of the city. Students who were told to return for in-person classes and exams have arrived to find laboratories, lecture halls, and dormitories still bearing the scars of war.
“The city needs work just like the university needs work,” said student Megdad Kammal.
University administrators say repair and rehabilitation work is underway ahead of the new semester expected later this year.
SMALL BUSINESSES CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE
Small business owners have also felt pressure to reopen, especially in Khartoum’s Souq al-Arabi, a large central marketplace that became a battlefield and was left riddled with land mines when the RSF pulled out.
While the authorities have resumed collecting taxes and other fees, many business owners say they still lack access to basic necessities like electricity.
“Our income is very low right now. They need to help us to come back, to encourage us to come back,” said Mohamed Abdelbasit, who runs a print shop. He argued that tax collection should be put on hold to give shopkeepers a chance to cover their expenses.
Saadeldin, the state government spokesman, acknowledged that some payment deferrals are being granted on a case-by-case basis. However, he noted that the cash-strapped state still needs revenue to keep basic services running, including public safety and the sewage system.
A devastating wildfire in southern Spain has killed at least 11 people, placing it among the most deadly fires ever recorded in the country, officials announced Friday as extreme heat continues to bake much of the nation.
The blaze, burning in the Almeria region, claimed several victims who were found inside charred vehicles. Eight additional people sustained injuries in the fire. A massive response effort is underway, with 150 firefighters and 220 soldiers from Spain’s military emergency unit working to bring the flames under control.
Regional emergency officials indicated that four British citizens appear to be among those killed. Andalusia’s regional leader Juan Manuel Moreno told the Cadena Ser radio station that 19 people remain unaccounted for. Authorities had initially reported 12 deaths but revised that figure down Friday morning.
The fire ignited in a small village situated in a dry, semi-arid zone near the Sierra de Los Filabres mountains. While officials have not confirmed an official cause, callers who first reported the fire told authorities they believed a downed power line had ignited a blaze that quickly spread into a neighboring forest.
In addition to the human toll, the fire forced road closures and prompted the evacuation of approximately 1,000 residents from the area.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez offered his condolences, posting on X that he felt “immense sadness and desolation in the face of the terrible consequences of the fire affecting the province of Almeria.”
Spain has faced increasingly severe and frequent heat waves in recent years, with temperatures regularly climbing above 40 degrees Celsius, or 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Dry conditions, high heat, and strong winds allow small fires to rapidly grow out of control. This past June, Spain endured several days of record-breaking heat, with more than 1,000 deaths linked to the extreme temperatures.
Parts of Western Europe are currently experiencing their third heat wave in just six weeks.
Europe is warming faster than any other continent on Earth, with temperatures rising at twice the global average rate since the 1980s, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. Globally, 2025 ranked as the third-hottest year on record, bringing multiple intense heat events across the continent.
Scientists caution that climate change, driven in part by the burning of fossil fuels such as gasoline, oil, and coal, is making heat waves and dry conditions more frequent and severe — leaving regions like southern Spain increasingly at risk for catastrophic wildfires.
BEIJING (AP) — China’s space program reached a historic milestone Friday when it successfully recaptured the first stage of a rocket following launch, according to state media reports.
After liftoff, the first stage of a Long March-10B rocket detached from the second stage and made its way back to a platform positioned in the sea, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
This marks the first time China has ever managed to recover a rocket’s first stage booster. The American company SpaceX has been performing similar recoveries for years as a way to reduce the cost of launches — by bringing back and reusing the booster section that helps propel the rocket’s cargo into space.
The Long March rocket lifted off from Hainan Island, located off China’s southern coast and known as a popular tourist and beach destination.
According to Xinhua, when configured for reuse, the rocket is capable of carrying a payload of up to 16,000 kilograms — roughly 35,275 pounds — into low Earth orbit.
By comparison, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket can carry a maximum payload of 22,800 kilograms, or about 50,265 pounds, according to information on the SpaceX website. The Falcon rocket line is also used to transport astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station.
Search teams with the Pakistan Navy have pulled additional wreckage from the Arabian Sea following the crash of a cargo plane earlier this week, as rescuers pressed into a third day Friday in their effort to find five missing crew members.
The Pakistan Airports Authority announced via social media platform X that the Pakistan Navy and the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency were continuing search-and-rescue operations in deep waters, deploying aircraft and other resources in a coordinated mission to locate the missing crew. The authority indicated further details would be released at a later time, and the cause of the crash is still under investigation.
The aircraft, operated by Karachi-based private carrier K2 Airways, vanished from radar late Tuesday evening while on a flight from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates bound for Karachi, Pakistan. Before disappearing, the crew reported a malfunction in the plane’s navigation system.
The first pieces of debris were found Wednesday, approximately 100 kilometers — or about 60 miles — off the coastal town of Ormara along Pakistan’s southwestern Makran coast in Balochistan province. Despite those discoveries, the main body of the aircraft and all five crew members have yet to be found.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered authorities to deploy every available resource in the search for the missing crew. K2 Airways has also stated it is fully cooperating with civil aviation officials conducting the crash investigation.
Rescuers have faced significant challenges due to harsh weather conditions at sea, including rough waters, powerful winds, and shifting ocean currents that can spread floating debris across a wide area and make it harder to identify the precise crash location.
According to the Pakistan Airports Authority, radar data showed the plane made a sudden change in direction and dropped rapidly in altitude before all radio and radar contact was lost at approximately 9:21 p.m. Tuesday. At that point, the aircraft was roughly 287 kilometers — around 178 miles — west of Karachi.
Pakistan has a history of deadly aviation accidents spanning several decades.
A newly released AP-NORC poll reveals that a large number of Jewish adults across the United States feel increasingly unsafe, with the majority reporting their sense of personal security has declined since Hamas carried out its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The survey, conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, documents a significant shift in how Jewish Americans view their own safety during a period when more Americans have grown critical of the close U.S. relationship with Israel. The ongoing war in Gaza has fueled protests across the country over Israel’s military campaign against Palestinians, and has coincided with a rise in violent incidents targeting Jewish communities in the United States.
The results paint a picture of widespread vulnerability among Jewish adults at a time when bipartisan support for Israel is weakening and sharp disagreements are emerging — even within the Jewish community itself — over what should and should not be considered antisemitism, especially when it involves protests directed at Israel.
Approximately 3 in 10 Jewish adults surveyed said that they or a member of their household had experienced some form of discrimination or attack in the past year — including physical assault, verbal abuse, online harassment, or property damage — specifically because of their Jewish identity.
Hal Guberman, a 30-year-old from New Jersey, now thinks twice before wearing a kippah in public after a stranger in a passing vehicle shouted a slur at him while he was walking down the street last year.
“That person, they don’t know anything about me. They don’t know my politics. They don’t know my beliefs. They don’t know my viewpoints,” Guberman said. “But they saw me being visibly Jewish, and they made an opinion about me.”
Roughly 6 in 10 Jewish adults consider antisemitism an “extremely” or “very” serious problem in the country today. That concern is even stronger among those who describe themselves as emotionally close to Israel.
When asked about their current sense of safety, about one-third of Jewish adults say they feel “very” or “somewhat” safe as a Jewish person in the U.S., while another third say they feel “very” or “somewhat” unsafe. The remaining roughly 3 in 10 say they feel neither safe nor unsafe. Jewish adults who have a strong connection to Israel, or who identify as Jewish by religion rather than by cultural or ethnic background alone, are more likely to report feeling threatened.
About 6 in 10 Jewish adults say they feel less safe now than before the October 2023 Hamas attack, a figure that rises to about 7 in 10 among those who practice Judaism religiously. Around one-third say their sense of safety has remained about the same, and very few say they actually feel safer.
Erin Baskin, a 36-year-old from Pennsylvania, said the October 7 attacks did not change how safe she feels because she had already encountered prejudice long before that day.
“I’ve always grown up with antisemitism,” she said. “Among the rural community I’m in, they conflate Judaism with Zionism all the time. Unfortunately, that’s kind of been my experience. It’s nothing new.”
The survey also found that many Jewish adults have become more cautious about visibly identifying themselves as Jewish since the October 7 attacks. About 4 in 10 say they are less likely than before to wear, carry, or display items that might signal their Jewish identity. About half say their behavior in this regard has not changed, while roughly 1 in 10 say they are actually more likely to display their identity.
Caitlin Rosendorn, a 24-year-old from Illinois, said she used to regularly wear a Star of David necklace but now hesitates, concerned that others might mistakenly assume it signals support for Israel’s military actions against Palestinians.
“I don’t want to wear a Star of David to work if that’s going to alienate somebody who sees the Star of David as a symbol of Israel as opposed to a symbol of Judaism,” she said. “I don’t want people to get the wrong idea about my views.”
About 1 in 10 Jewish adults reported that they or someone in their household had been physically assaulted in the past year because of their Jewish background. A similar proportion reported having property damaged or destroyed. Around 2 in 10 said they or a household member had been called a slur, threatened, or verbally harassed, and a similar share reported experiencing online harassment or cyberbullying. In total, about 3 in 10 Jewish adults said they or someone in their household had faced at least one of these incidents.
Jewish adults who attend religious services at least once a month were considerably more likely than the broader Jewish adult population to report experiencing harassment or attacks. Nearly half of frequent attendees said they or a household member had faced verbal harassment, a similar share reported online harassment, and about one-quarter reported physical attacks or property damage — a finding that reflects a pattern of targeted incidents at Jewish religious spaces in recent years.
Jon Kessler, 38, of California, who was raised in the Conservative tradition of Judaism, said many non-Jewish Americans may not realize how much security planning goes into Jewish community gatherings.
“Most people when they go to church don’t have armed security, but every synagogue has an armed security guard,” Kessler said. “My son’s Jewish daycare has an armed security guard.”
Protests connected to Israel-related events — including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress and appearances by campus speakers viewed as either too supportive or too critical of Israel — became more frequent in the wake of the Gaza war.
Jewish adults themselves are split on whether anti-Israel protests amount to antisemitism. About half say such protests are not a form of antisemitism, while roughly 4 in 10 say they are.
More than 73,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza since Israel launched its military response to the Hamas attack in 2023, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which does not separate civilian from militant deaths.
About two-thirds of Jewish adults say criticizing Israel’s military conduct does not constitute antisemitism, though those with a strong emotional attachment to Israel are more likely to view such criticism as antisemitic. Few Jewish adults, however, say that criticizing Israel for any reason at all is inherently antisemitic.
Non-Jewish Americans are generally less likely to label anti-Israel protests or criticism of Israel’s military actions as antisemitism — but they are also far more likely to say they simply don’t have an opinion.
There is broader agreement among Jewish adults on certain behaviors they consider clearly antisemitic: vandalizing synagogues or Jewish-owned businesses over Israel’s actions, denying the Holocaust, blaming American Jews for Israel’s conduct, arguing Israel should not exist as a Jewish state, or claiming that Jewish Americans are more loyal to Israel than to the United States. Non-Jewish Americans show less consensus on these questions, with many saying they are unsure.
Amanda Goldsmith, 53, who lives in Chicago, said she is disturbed by how openly antisemitic views are now being expressed online — content she once believed was confined to extremist corners of the internet.
“Now, it seems like there was an undercurrent, and it’s a free-for-all, and everyone is free to say what they want,” she said. “The freedom with which people say horrible things about Jewish people is appalling.”
The AP-NORC poll was conducted June 11-17 and included 3,040 adults overall, with 1,022 identifying as Jewish. Respondents were drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to represent the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2.8 percentage points for all adults and plus or minus 5.0 percentage points for Jewish adults.
Investors chasing the latest market trends are getting a reminder that a popular investment isn’t always a winning one.
The Roundhill Meme Stock ETF has climbed roughly 35% so far in 2026, including a 3.5% jump on Thursday alone. That rise has been fueled in part by gains from companies such as AST Spacemobile, Terawulf, and Lumentum Holdings.
Much of the excitement can be traced to the ongoing artificial intelligence boom, which has sent shares of profitable chip companies soaring while also reigniting a wave of speculative trading. That speculative energy has brought back leveraged ETFs, wild price swings in smaller companies, and a general sense that meme stock mania has returned.
But despite this year’s strong run, the fund — which holds about $20 million in assets — is still trading below the price it launched at in October 2025. That means investors who got in from the very beginning are still in the red, even after the 2026 rebound.
The situation illustrates a point that often gets lost during market booms: short-term investment gains can be driven by hype and popularity, but over time, factors like a company’s profitability, competitive standing, and the price originally paid tend to matter far more.
Olga Bitel, chief investment strategist at William Blair Investment Management, offered this perspective: “If you are looking to invest for the long term, however you define that long term, then you need to really understand the fundamentals of the business and what that business could potentially be worth.”
She added: “Just because retail investors participate en masse in these exciting companies and IPOs, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do the work and figure out what this thing actually does, where it fits into the ecosystem and whether it can deliver on the promises.”
Those same concerns could apply to some of the most talked-about names in the market right now, including SpaceX and potential future public offerings from AI companies OpenAI and Anthropic. Both have attracted enormous investor interest thanks to rapid growth and their leading roles in emerging technology — but whether their financial results will live up to sky-high expectations remains an open question.
History offers a cautionary tale. During the dot-com boom in 2000, Cisco Systems became the most valuable company in the world as investors bet heavily on its role in the internet’s expansion. Cisco did go on to dominate the networking equipment market, but those who bought near the peak had to wait 25 years before the stock returned to its dot-com high.
Anthropic and OpenAI could face a similar test. Both carry massive private-market valuations despite not yet turning a consistent profit. In May, Anthropic raised money at a valuation of $965 billion — ahead of OpenAI, which was last valued at $852 billion back in March. Anthropic is just now approaching its first quarterly operating profit, while continuing to spend heavily on developing and deploying its AI systems. OpenAI also spent more than it earned in the first quarter of 2026.
As for the meme stocks themselves, the ETF closed Thursday at $8.41 — leaving those who bought at launch down about 15%. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq have each gained around 12% over that same period.
The fund’s construction reflects its high-risk nature. Its portfolio turns over nearly five times per year, one of the fastest rates on Wall Street, and nearly 60% of its assets are concentrated in its 10 largest holdings. Those include fuel cell energy developer Bloom Energy, fiber-optic manufacturer Applied Optoelectronics, and Australia-based data center company IREN Limited. Holdings are chosen largely based on implied volatility and retail trading activity, essentially making the fund a wager on investor sentiment.
Dave Mazza, CEO of Roundhill Investments, addressed the fund’s performance in a statement: “The MEME ETF is designed to provide investors exposure to stocks with the potential for meme-like behavior, and that comes with volatility in both directions. The fund’s inception coincided with the peak of the last retail cycle, which speaks to timing rather than to whether these stocks can deliver strong moves on the upside, as we have seen this year.”
Will McGough, chief investment officer at Prime Capital Financial, summed it up this way: “The retail army of traders certainly helps trends happen, but there’s obviously no free lunch in investing.”
A flood of fund managers are racing to get exchange-traded funds tied to SK Hynix into the market just as the South Korean chipmaker prepares to make its U.S. trading debut, according to regulatory filings.
At least 10 fund managers — including major issuers Direxion and ProShares — have submitted registration filings to list single-stock ETFs that would track SK Hynix once the company begins trading in the United States. Nearly all of the filings involve leveraged or inverse strategies tied to the chipmaker’s American Depositary Receipts, which are set to list on the Nasdaq.
SK Hynix is scheduled to begin trading on the Nasdaq on Friday, following a massive capital raise of $26.5 billion earlier this week.
Among those moving quickly is ThemesETFs, which plans to launch a 2x leveraged ETF and a 1x short ETF on the Cboe exchange on July 13 under its Leverage Shares brand, the company announced in a press release.
CorgiFunds has also filed to list a 2x leveraged SK Hynix ETF on the Cboe BZX Exchange, with trading expected to begin on the same date, according to the fintech firm.
Direxion is likewise pursuing a 2x leveraged SK Hynix ETF. The company said in a press release that it will “begin trading shortly after SK Hynix’s ADR lists on Nasdaq.”
The rush comes with some caution in the background. Leveraged ETFs tracking SK Hynix’s shares on the South Korean market have already drawn scrutiny, with the head of that country’s market regulator publicly stating regret over having approved them, citing concerns about their distorting effect on the Seoul market.
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with North Korean Premier Pak Thae Song in the Chinese capital of Beijing on Friday, according to a report from CCTV, China’s official state television broadcaster.
London’s Metropolitan Police are looking into at least £500,000 — roughly $671,300 — in donations made to Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK party, according to a report from the Times newspaper. The funds in question were allegedly contributed by the mother of a close political associate of Farage who was convicted of wire fraud.
In an official statement, police confirmed the scope of the inquiry, saying they are examining potential violations of laws that govern political party donations. Those violations could include hiding the true source of funding or providing false information to a party treasurer.
“An investigation was launched in February 2025 after a referral was made to the Metropolitan Police by the Electoral Commission relating to donations made to a political party ahead of the 2024 UK General Election,” a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said.
Authorities confirmed that two individuals have been interviewed as part of the investigation but stressed that no arrests have been made. Police declined to identify those connected to the donations under scrutiny.
The Times reported that investigators are focusing on payments made by Fiona Cottrell, the mother of George Cottrell, to Reform UK prior to the 2024 election. George Cottrell, described as a long-standing political ally of Farage, served prison time in the United States in 2017 after pleading guilty to wire fraud. He currently works in the cryptocurrency industry.
Farage has been under growing pressure for weeks over questions surrounding his party’s finances and his own financial dealings. Those questions include undisclosed gifts from a cryptocurrency billionaire investor and ties to Cottrell, who has a fraud conviction in the U.S.
Farage has consistently denied any wrongdoing. He has argued that he received a donation from the crypto investor before he formally announced his candidacy in the 2024 election and therefore was not required to disclose it.
In a surprising move earlier this week, Farage — a leading voice behind Brexit — announced he would give up his parliamentary seat and run for it again, framing the decision as a way to seek a public vote of confidence amid the ongoing scrutiny of his finances.
The Philippines has confirmed a new outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza affecting backyard poultry in its Oriental Mindoro province, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health, known as WOAH, which made the announcement on Friday.
The virus was identified in a small flock of 39 birds located in the town of Capalan. Philippine authorities reported the case to the Paris-based WOAH, which confirmed that all of the affected birds were destroyed as a precautionary measure to prevent the disease from spreading further.
The continued spread of avian influenza — widely known as bird flu — has put governments and the poultry industry on alert in recent years. The disease has devastated flocks across the globe, straining poultry supplies, pushing food prices higher, and heightening concerns about the potential for the virus to spread to humans.
Thousands of immigrants from Haiti and Syria who hold Temporary Protected Status could soon find themselves unable to legally work in the United States, following a recent decision handed down by the Supreme Court.
The ruling has placed TPS holders — a group that includes many Haitian and Syrian nationals — on the verge of losing the work permits that have allowed them to remain employed while living in the U.S. under the humanitarian protection program.
A potential loss of work authorization for Temporary Protected Status holders could put serious strain on an already struggling healthcare workforce across the country.
TPS holders currently account for 15% of all noncitizen workers employed in the healthcare sector. If their work permits are taken away, industry observers say the impact on staffing levels could be severe.
The U.S. healthcare system has faced persistent workforce shortages in recent years, and the removal of this group of workers could deepen those gaps at hospitals, clinics, and care facilities nationwide.
A closer look at the finances behind one of the country’s most visible white nationalist groups reveals how Patriot Front manages to bankroll its rallies and public demonstrations.
NPR domestic extremism correspondent Odette Yousef has been investigating how the group funds its operations, digging into the money trail that keeps Patriot Front active and organizing events nationwide.
The report examines the financial structure that allows the white nationalist organization to continue staging rallies, raising questions about where the money comes from and how it is used to support the group’s activities.
Two people who experienced the prison system from very different vantage points are now speaking out about what life is like once those prison doors close behind you for the last time.
A former corrections officer — someone who once worked inside a prison facility overseeing inmates — and a former prisoner are sharing their personal reflections on incarceration and the road that follows it.
Together, their stories offer a rare dual perspective on a system that affects millions of Americans, exploring what it means to move forward after time spent inside — whether as a guard or as someone serving a sentence.
Investigators are pressing forward in their effort to determine what happened to a Black teenager in Mississippi whose body was recovered after he was left on an island.
The case centers on Nolan Wells, a young man whose death has prompted an ongoing investigation by authorities. His body was found following reports that he had been left on the island, raising serious questions about the events that led to his death.
Details surrounding the case remain under investigation, and officials have not yet released conclusions about the cause or circumstances of his death.
The New Castle County Division of Police has activated a Gold Alert for a missing 77-year-old Wilmington woman identified as Barbara Ellingworth.
Barbara was last seen in the area of the 8600 block of Park Court at approximately 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 9, 2026. Since that time, officers have conducted extensive efforts to find her but have been unable to locate or make contact with her.
Authorities have expressed concern for Barbara’s well-being. Anyone with information about her whereabouts is urged to contact the New Castle County Division of Police immediately.
Greek anti-terrorist police announced Friday the arrest of three individuals tied to a string of firebomb attacks targeting conservative politicians — attacks that claimed one life and left four others injured.
The bombings took place in the early morning hours of July 1st in Thessaloniki, a major city in northern Greece. The targets were members of Greece’s ruling conservative New Democracy party. A homemade bomb constructed from camping gas canisters detonated beneath the car of parliamentary candidate Afroditi Nestora, which was parked outside her apartment building. The explosion killed Nestora’s 72-year-old mother.
Nestora herself sustained burns in the attack and remains in the hospital. She briefly left her hospital bed on Thursday to attend her mother’s funeral. Her father and two other residents of the building were also hurt in the blast.
Two additional bombings occurred the same night, also directed at New Democracy party members. Those attacks caused property damage but resulted in no injuries.
Greece has faced politically motivated violence for decades, stretching back to the 1970s. Domestic extremist groups have carried out small-scale bombings over the years, typically going after symbols of authority — including the homes and property of politicians, law enforcement, and other public figures. Crude devices made from camping gas canisters are commonly used, and while the attacks mostly result in material damage, deadly incidents do occur.
Although the most active groups from the 1980s and 1990s have been broken up, new organizations have continued to emerge in their place.
Police said a 29-year-old man was taken into custody in Thessaloniki, while a 26-year-old woman was arrested on the southern island of Crete. Both are suspected of direct involvement in the bombing at Nestora’s home. A third man was arrested on suspicion of sheltering the two suspects at his apartment before and after the attack. Authorities noted that the search for any additional suspects remains ongoing.
This latest incident is part of a broader pattern of politically motivated violence in Greece. In May 2025, a 38-year-old woman died in Thessaloniki when a bomb she was carrying exploded in her hands — authorities believe she had intended to plant it outside a bank. Two months after that, a bomb went off outside the Thessaloniki home of the president of Greece’s prison guards association. He was not hurt, though two bystanders suffered minor injuries from broken glass.
In April of last year, an explosion near the offices of Greece’s main railway company rocked a busy area of central Athens. No one was injured, but the attack came during a period of intense public anger over a 2023 rail disaster that killed 57 people. A newly emerged extremist group claimed responsibility. And in June 2024, a police officer assigned to protect a senior judge’s home in Athens was wounded in a gasoline bomb attack.
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines marked the anniversary Friday of a 2016 international arbitration decision that invalidated China’s broad territorial claims in the South China Sea — a ruling that Washington and allied nations have repeatedly cited in pushing back against Beijing’s growing influence in the region.
China refused to participate in the arbitration process, which the Philippines launched in 2013, and has dismissed the July 12, 2016 decision by a tribunal formed under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea as illegitimate.
Despite the ruling, Beijing continues to assert control over nearly the entire sea passage — a critical global shipping corridor. Those claims are also disputed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan, making the South China Sea one of Asia’s most volatile potential conflict zones.
Washington has repeatedly urged China to abide by the ruling. Both the previous Biden administration and the current Trump administration have stated that the United States is bound by treaty to come to the Philippines’ defense if Filipino forces, ships, or aircraft face an armed attack in the contested waters. The Philippines is described as the United States’ oldest treaty ally in Asia.
Clashes between Chinese and Philippine forces, as well as Chinese and Vietnamese forces and fishing fleets, have grown more frequent in recent years.
Philippine Foreign Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro spoke Thursday, describing the ruling as legally binding and likening it to a navigational beacon.
“When the waters grow turbulent, when unilateral claims cloud the horizon and when the shadow of coercion looms, nations need something far more permanent than political convenience,” Lazaro said. “They need a lighthouse.”
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong also weighed in with criticism of China, stating that Australia would “continue to register our concerns about China’s vessels engaging in destabilizing and dangerous conduct in the South China Sea.”
China had not immediately responded publicly, but through a statement issued by its embassy in Manila, Beijing made clear it would never accept the ruling, calling it “illegal, null and void.”
“The award will not alter the historical and factual basis for China’s sovereignty over the islands of the South China Sea and their adjacent waters,” the Chinese embassy in Manila stated, adding that the decision “will not weaken China’s resolve and determination to safeguard its sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.”
The arbitration tribunal ruled largely in the Philippines’ favor, finding under the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea that “there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources” in the South China Sea beyond the standard territorial boundaries recognized under the convention.
That convention, widely considered the governing treaty for the world’s oceans, took effect in 1994 and has been ratified by more than 170 countries and parties, including both China and the Philippines.
BANGKOK — Three survivors of a deadly attack on a Thai cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz have taken legal action against the ship’s operator, filing a lawsuit Friday over alleged labor rights violations and wrongful termination.
The vessel, known as the Mayuree Naree, was struck by a projectile north of Oman on March 11. Three crew members died in the attack, while the remaining 20 were rescued and brought back to Thailand roughly a week afterward.
Former crew members Panithi Tumkaew, Noppadon Wongsuvan, and Surades Manpuen have named Precious Shipping Co., two of its affiliated companies, and the ship’s captain as defendants in the case.
According to their attorney, Kunpat Singhathong, the lawsuit claims the defendants put the crew’s lives at risk by choosing to navigate through the strait despite well-known security dangers in the area.
Kunpat explained that all three men were let go before finishing their nine-month employment contracts after the attack disabled the ship. Each received compensation equal to two months’ pay — an amount their lawyer says falls far short of what they deserve.
The reason the compensation is considered inadequate, Kunpat said, is that all three men have since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition that has left them unable to return to work as sailors for the foreseeable future.
Greek counter-terrorism police have taken three people into custody in connection with a series of firebomb attacks on homes belonging to individuals linked to the country’s ruling party, according to the citizens’ protection ministry. The arrests were announced on Friday.
The attacks, which occurred earlier this month in the northern city of Thessaloniki, resulted in the death of a 72-year-old woman who was the mother of one of the governing party’s parliamentary candidates. She passed away from burn injuries sustained in one of the attacks, and four other people were also hurt.
Investigators say the attackers placed lit gas canisters outside three separate buildings. The first two incidents resulted in explosions that caused only property damage. The third attack, however, left five people injured, including the woman who would later die from her wounds at a hospital.
Authorities have connected Friday’s three suspects to that third attack but have not released additional details about the investigation.
Two of the buildings that were targeted contained apartments belonging to figures within the ruling New Democracy party, while the third property was owned by a local politician affiliated with the same party.
Political violence through bombings and arson has a long history in Greece spanning several decades, though in more recent years such attacks have generally resulted in property damage rather than casualties.
Deposed Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has revealed plans to return from exile in India around December, alongside senior members of her political party, intending to voluntarily appear before the courts — despite facing a death sentence back home.
Speaking in an exclusive telephone interview with Reuters lasting nearly an hour, the 78-year-old said she and fellow members of the Awami League — currently a banned organization in Bangladesh — plan to go back to the country they escaped two years ago and present themselves to the justice system.
“They may arrest me on my return, they may even kill me,” Hasina said during the late Thursday into Friday conversation.
“Still, I have to go,” she continued. “My party leaders and workers are being subjected to tremendous repression. If death comes, I want it to come on my own soil, where my parents are buried and where their blood was shed.”
Hasina fled Bangladesh in 2024 after widespread protests brought an end to her 20-year run as prime minister across several terms. In November, the country’s war-crimes court handed down a death sentence against her in absentia, finding her responsible for ordering a violent crackdown on a student-led uprising. She has denied all charges while living in exile.
Her potential homecoming could deepen political fault lines in the garment-export nation as the government in Dhaka works to restore order after two turbulent years. At the same time, it could help ease the strained relationship between Bangladesh and India, which worsened significantly after New Delhi gave Hasina refuge. Bangladesh has repeatedly called on India to extradite her.
Hasina said she has not consulted any foreign government about the timing or decision to return. This interview represents the first time she has laid out a specific timeframe, stated her intention to surrender, or disclosed that other exiled Awami League figures would do the same. Among those also facing a death sentence is former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal. Reuters was unable to reach the other party members or confirm their whereabouts.
“The authorities in Dhaka want to take me back, they are repeatedly sending letters to India seeking to have me sent back,” she said. “I will go myself.”
Spokespeople for the Bangladeshi government did not respond to requests for comment on Hasina’s statements. India’s foreign ministry also declined to respond, though in April the ministry indicated it was reviewing Bangladesh’s extradition request and expressed a desire to “engage constructively with the new government and further strengthen bilateral ties.”
Hasina spent half a century as a central figure in Bangladeshi politics, first thrust into public life after the assassination of her father — an independence leader — and most of her family during a military coup. She was once celebrated as a champion of democracy and credited with driving significant economic growth in the Muslim-majority country of 170 million people. However, her extended time in power drew accusations that her administration suppressed opposition and weakened democratic institutions — claims she rejects.
A United Nations report found that the crackdown that ultimately led to her removal from power killed as many as 1,400 people.
“Cases have been filed against almost all of our leaders and workers, and many of them are in hiding,” Hasina told Reuters from her exile residence in Delhi. “So I said that this time I am returning home, and one day, all of you should come. All together, we will all surrender in court.”
She stopped short of providing a specific date for her return or identifying which court she would surrender to.
“I believe in justice and I feel that once proceedings start, it will be clear to the people how farcical the court is — and that I want to prove it,” she said.
Numerous Awami League members have reportedly faced arrest, legal action, and physical violence since her government was removed from power, according to media accounts and government officials.
Hasina said she has had no direct communication with Dhaka regarding her return plans. “Democracy, voting rights, the political rights of the Awami League and justice are not subjects for secret talks,” she said.
She expressed no fear about the prospect of imprisonment, noting she has been jailed multiple times throughout her political career. After returning from an earlier period of exile in 1981 following her father’s assassination, she was detained repeatedly while campaigning against military rule. She was imprisoned again in 2007 by a military-backed caretaker government on corruption charges, only to be released and go on to win elections in 2008.
Hasina said threats against her life as crowds moved toward her home were what ultimately drove her to flee Bangladesh this time around.
“When a government works for a long time, mistakes can happen — no government is above error,” she said. “But the right to judge the good and bad, the right and wrong of a government belongs to the people. I leave that judgment to the people.”
She noted that she has been holding virtual meetings covering 125 of Bangladesh’s 300 parliamentary constituencies as part of ongoing efforts to reorganize the Awami League.
“They may have convicted me, and I may not be able to contest elections,” she said. “But why should they suspend the Awami League? If we have done badly, let the people decide.”
South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix made its long-awaited entrance into U.S. markets on Friday, with its American trading debut serving as a major indicator of how confident investors remain in the ongoing artificial intelligence spending wave — even as chip stocks have recently lost some steam.
The $26.5 billion share offering ranks as the second-largest stock sale in U.S. history, trailing only SpaceX’s record-breaking IPO last month. The proceeds will allow SK Hynix to construct new manufacturing facilities while giving the company direct access to the world’s largest pool of investors.
Semiconductor stocks have pulled back somewhat in recent weeks after a remarkable stretch of gains, driven in part by investor concerns that AI spending could slow down. SK Hynix’s own shares have fallen about 25% from the record high they reached just two weeks ago — yet the stock still sits roughly 650% above where it was a year ago.
Thomas Hayes, chairman at Great Hill Capital in New York, described the current climate bluntly: “Global semiconductors is the most crowded trade in the world right now. The bankers and the issuer, in this case SK Hynix, are meeting demand where it is. They’re seeing excessive valuations, and they want to take advantage of it.”
SK Hynix shares climbed 2.2% to 2.233 million won — equivalent to about $1,479.98 — on the Seoul exchange Friday, following the company’s sale of American Depositary Receipts at $149 each. That price represented a 2.7% premium over the stock’s average closing price during the three most recent trading sessions. Every ten ADRs correspond to a single common share.
Based in Icheon, South Korea, SK Hynix holds the top position globally in producing high-bandwidth memory chips, known as HBM chips. These components are critical for the enormous data-processing demands of AI-focused graphics processing units made by companies such as Nvidia and AMD.
As major technology companies pour money into advanced AI processors, HBM chips have become increasingly scarce, pushing prices higher and making their manufacturers some of the most sought-after investments on Wall Street. Investors have come to view these chip suppliers as the essential infrastructure providers — the “picks and shovels” — of the AI revolution.
Giuseppe Sette, co-founder of the investment analysis platform Reflexivity, explained the appeal of the listing: “This is the purest large-cap way for U.S. investors to own the AI-memory theme, and Hynix deliberately picked Nasdaq to tap that demand and the higher valuations U.S. chip names command versus Seoul.” He added a note of caution: “SK Hynix gets its deal done on the strength of the story, but companies coming after it may face a tougher, more selective market.”
SK Hynix’s U.S.-based rival Micron has also surged dramatically, rising 711% over the past year. Analysts believe SK Hynix’s Nasdaq listing could help narrow the valuation gap between the two companies. Despite leading the world in HBM chip production, SK Hynix trades at roughly 6.8 times projected earnings, compared to Micron’s valuation of about 13 times forward earnings, according to data from LSEG.
Technology giants racing to build faster and more capable AI systems are funneling hundreds of billions of dollars into the underlying infrastructure, raising money through both stock offerings and debt markets. Analysts anticipate that spending will keep growing in the near term. A note from BofA Securities this week projected that global cloud and AI infrastructure capital expenditures could near $1.5 trillion by 2027 — a jump of 40% to 50% compared to current annual levels.
Still, questions are mounting about whether those massive investments will ultimately pay off, raising the possibility that major cloud providers could eventually be forced to pull back on spending.
Matt Kennedy, senior strategist at Renaissance Capital — a firm specializing in IPO research and related investment funds — summed up the uncertainty: “Investors will weigh the strength of the past year’s rally against this latest volatility… Oversupply fears are inherent to the industry.”
Preliminary investigations into Tuesday’s twin bombings in Damascus — which occurred near a hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron was staying overnight — suggest the cell responsible was connected to Islamic State, according to a senior Syrian security official.
The two explosions wounded 18 people and cast a shadow over Macron’s visit to the Syrian capital, which marked the first trip to the country by a European Union head of state since the removal of Bashar al-Assad from power.
What Is Islamic State?
Islamic State is a Sunni Muslim extremist organization that rose to prominence in Iraq and Syria, eventually declaring a so-called “caliphate” — a form of Islamic government — and claiming authority over all Muslims worldwide. At its peak, the group largely supplanted al Qaeda as the dominant jihadist force.
Between 2014 and 2017, the group controlled vast stretches of Iraq and Syria, governing millions of people under its harsh interpretation of Islamic Sharia law. It maintained a base just a 30-minute drive from Baghdad and even held the Libyan coastal city of Sirte. The group carried out public executions and torture as tools of control, and its fighters either carried out or inspired attacks in dozens of cities across the globe.
A sustained military campaign led by a U.S.-led coalition eventually dismantled the caliphate in both countries.
Where Does It Operate Now?
After being driven out of its strongholds in the Syrian city of Raqqa and the Iraqi city of Mosul, Islamic State retreated into the rural interiors of both countries. Today, the group maintains a notable presence in Syria, Iraq, parts of Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
Its fighters are spread across independent cells, its leadership operates in secrecy, and its total numbers are difficult to pin down. The United Nations estimates around 10,000 members remain in the group’s core territories.
Africa has emerged as the primary focus of Islamic State’s activities. The group’s African operations accounted for 86% of its global activity during the first three months of 2026, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, a crisis monitoring organization. The largest faction, known as ISWAP, is based primarily in northeastern Nigeria, while other branches are active across the Sahel region, as well as in Somalia, Mozambique, and Congo.
In July, Morocco’s counterterrorism agency announced it had disrupted attack plots against sensitive sites and public security locations carried out by a cell loyal to Islamic State’s Sahel affiliate.
Many foreign fighters have gravitated toward the group’s Khorasan branch — known as ISIS-K — which takes its name from a historical term for a region encompassing parts of Iran, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan.
In the Philippines, Islamic State-linked groups remain active in the southern part of the country, particularly in Mindanao, where pro-Islamic State militants seized control of the city of Marawi in 2017.
Recent Attacks
Leaders across the Middle East and their Western allies have raised alarms that Islamic State could use the 2024 fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government as an opportunity to reassert itself in Syria and neighboring Iraq.
The group has declared a new operational phase in Syria, targeting the government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Since February, it has carried out a series of attacks, including one that killed four Syrian government security personnel near Raqqa.
Since Assad’s removal from power, Islamic State has been reactivating dormant sleeper cells, scouting potential targets, and distributing weapons including guns, silencers, and explosives, according to sources who spoke with Reuters. A report by the U.N. Office of Counter-Terrorism revealed that President Sharaa and two senior cabinet ministers had been targeted in five foiled assassination attempts by the group.
Islamic State has also been linked to so-called lone-wolf attacks that are difficult to detect in advance. A 2025 shooting at a Jewish Hanukkah event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach — described as Australia’s worst mass shooting in nearly 30 years — raised concerns about the group’s influence on individual attackers. Police said Islamic State appeared to have influenced the gunmen, who killed 15 people.
In 2024, Islamic State-Khorasan claimed responsibility for a mass shooting at a concert hall near Moscow that left 149 people dead. The group has also been connected to several other planned attacks in southern Russia and Azerbaijan in recent years, a pattern that has alarmed intelligence agencies.
Goals and Tactics
Islamic State’s overarching goal remains the spread of its extreme interpretation of Islam and the establishment of rule over Muslims. However, the group has significantly changed its methods following the collapse of its territorial holdings and a series of other setbacks.
Iraqi security officials say the organization has undergone a major shift — transitioning from a conventional military-style force into a dispersed underground movement. Rather than massing fighters in large formations, the group now relies on hidden cells, loosely affiliated operatives, and discreet courier networks to communicate and coordinate attacks.
The group has also moved toward a more decentralized structure, giving smaller units and individual members greater independence and reducing dependence on direct orders from senior leadership. Intelligence sources on the ground in Iraq and Syria say this model has helped the group withstand ongoing counterterrorism efforts in the region.
Authorities in China are investigating a deadly fire at a shoe factory in Fujian province that killed 28 people, once again drawing attention to the country’s long-standing workplace safety challenges.
State-run Xinhua News Agency reported Friday that a search operation had concluded and an investigation into the cause of Thursday’s blaze was now underway. The fire destroyed the Fujian Huiteng factory located in Jinjiang, a major hub for sports shoe manufacturing.
Product listings on online retail and import platforms indicate that Fujian Huiteng produces footwear for both Chinese and international brands.
Video footage from local media captured a harrowing scene — workers stranded on the roof of the five-story building, surrounded by thick black smoke, while fire hoses struggled to reach the flames visible through upper-floor windows. Xinhua reported that the factory’s owner and managers were taken into custody and the company’s financial accounts were frozen.
At the time the fire broke out, 237 factory employees and two visitors were inside the building. Of the 213 people who were rescued, two later died at the hospital. An additional 26 individuals who had been reported missing were subsequently confirmed dead, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Workplace safety has remained a stubborn problem throughout China. In May, an explosion at a fireworks plant in Changsha, in the central province of Hunan, killed at least 37 people. In 2024, a fire at a refrigeration facility under construction in Xinyu, in the southeastern province of Jiangxi, took 39 lives.
Despite repeated government orders for businesses to identify and address workplace hazards, official figures show that 18,261 people died in nearly 20,000 workplace accidents across China in 2025 — a decrease from the prior year.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for a rapid investigation into the disaster, stating that authorities would “strictly hold those responsible accountable.”
Jinjiang is home to thousands of shoe manufacturers and has earned the nickname the “shoe capital” of China. The city produces roughly one-fifth of all athletic footwear globally — more than a billion pairs annually — according to state media and industry reports.
The region’s growth from small workshops into a major export powerhouse, which Xi has frequently referenced as the “Jinjiang Experience,” is widely regarded as a symbol of China’s rise as a global manufacturing leader.
CCTV reported that the fire originated on the building’s ground floor, where both a workshop and a warehouse were situated. A local fire department official told the state broadcaster that shoe sole materials that had been stacked in stairwells blocked firefighters from accessing the flames. Those shoe materials were described as highly flammable.
According to CCTV, fire crews deployed 183 personnel and 35 vehicles to the scene, and open flames were brought under control after approximately four hours. Xinhua later reported that more than 500 people participated in the overall rescue and search effort.
HONG KONG — Asian stock markets posted gains Friday, with technology-related shares leading the way higher, even as oil prices edged down and investors kept a close watch on the ongoing Iran war.
U.S. futures were pointing slightly lower heading into the trading day.
Tensions between Iran and the United States intensified this week after President Donald Trump declared that the Iran war ceasefire agreement was “over,” following a series of exchanges of attacks between the two countries.
South Korea’s Kospi index climbed 2.5% to 7,475.94, clawing back some of the ground it lost earlier in the week. Shares of memory chipmaker SK Hynix, which is scheduled to make its Nasdaq debut in New York on Friday, rose 2.2% in Seoul trading.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 advanced 1.9%, finishing at 69,030.35. SoftBank Group, a major investor in OpenAI, surged 10.5%, while chip equipment manufacturer Tokyo Electron added 4%.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index was up 1.8% at 24,455.01, while China’s Shanghai Composite reversed early gains to close down 0.5% at 4,017.50.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.5%, settling at 8,806.00, and India’s Sensex added 0.9%.
Oil prices swung back and forth again on Friday, as global supplies remained constrained by the limited number of ships capable of navigating the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for global energy shipments.
Brent crude, the international benchmark, fell 0.3% to $76.07 per barrel — compared to roughly $72 a barrel before the war broke out in late February. U.S. benchmark crude also dropped 0.3%, to $71.89 a barrel.
On Thursday, U.S. stocks closed higher. The S&P 500 rose 0.8% to 7,543.64, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.3% to reach 52,487.41, and the Nasdaq composite gained 1.3% to close at 26,206.89, with technology stocks driving much of the momentum.
Semiconductor companies were standout performers. Micron Technology jumped 4.5% after announcing plans to expand its U.S. investments, pointing to what it called “surging demand for memory in the AI era.” Shares of Advanced Micro Devices, known as AMD, surged 5.7%. Marvell Technology rose 5%, and ON Semiconductor gained 4.4%.
In currency markets early Friday, the U.S. dollar fell to 161.56 Japanese yen from 162.37 yen the day before. The euro was trading at $1.1444, up slightly from $1.1430.
The yen strengthened against the dollar after Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama told a parliamentary committee that the government intends to push large pension funds to put more money into domestic, yen-denominated investments.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is pushing governments and global lenders to make greater use of debt-for-education swaps, warning that a deepening education financing crisis is leaving hundreds of millions of students without adequate resources.
UNESCO unveiled new guidance on the debt swap mechanism at a global education summit held in Paris on Friday, making the case that the tool could help financially strained nations redirect money toward classrooms, teacher training, and student support programs.
The way these swaps work: a country refinances or buys back costly debt and then channels the resulting savings directly into education spending.
The World Bank has recently begun supporting such arrangements. UNESCO highlighted several bilateral examples already in use, including a 2023 agreement between France and Ivory Coast that helped finance the construction of more than 30 schools, as well as a Spain-Peru initiative that funded 50 education projects over a ten-year period.
The urgency of UNESCO’s push is underscored by alarming new data. According to the agency, 113 countries representing 6.1 billion people currently spend more on debt repayment than on education. In low-income nations, debt payments run nearly four times higher than what is spent on education. In 18 of the most heavily indebted countries, debt payments outpace education budgets by at least five to one.
The crisis is compounded by falling international support. UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Report projects that worldwide aid to education could drop by as much as 30% between 2023 and 2027. Aid to education already fell 8% in 2024 compared to the prior year, while funding specifically for basic education dropped 15%.
Low- and lower-middle-income countries have already lost 21% of the education aid they received in 2023. Countries including Afghanistan, Liberia, Mali, and Niger have experienced declines exceeding 40%.
Education’s share of total global development assistance fell to 7.5% in 2024 — the lowest level recorded in twenty years, UNESCO said. The agency estimates that low- and lower-middle-income countries face an annual education funding shortfall of $97 billion.
UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany issued a stark warning about the situation. “Education is the most powerful investment countries can make, yet it is being systematically underfunded,” he said, calling on world leaders to increase political support for scaling up new and creative financing approaches.
The data and guidance were released at the Transforming Education Summit+4, a gathering of government ministers, development banks, and international organizations focused on measuring progress toward the United Nations’ goal of delivering inclusive, high-quality education to all people by 2030.
KYIV — Russia has found a way to defeat Ukraine’s carefully constructed defenses around its electrical infrastructure, using tiny drones guided by fiber-optic cables to slip through protective barriers and destroy critical power equipment in the northern Ukrainian region of Sumy.
Open-source analysis has revealed footage of the new wave of attacks, which was posted on Russian social media platforms and verified by the Centre for Information Resilience, a London-based open-source investigation group. Reuters also independently confirmed the findings.
Throughout the war, Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukrainian energy facilities, particularly in frontline areas. To counter this, Ukrainian authorities built massive concrete protective shells — known as sarcophagi — around high-voltage transformers and draped them with anti-drone netting. The frontline areas are also packed with electronic warfare equipment designed to knock out the radio signals that control enemy drones.
But a new class of small, agile First Person View (FPV) drones connected to operators via fiber-optic cable has rendered those electronic countermeasures useless. As long as the thin, nearly transparent cable remains intact and unobstructed, the drones are completely immune to signal jamming.
Joshua Scriven, an investigator at the Centre for Information Resilience, explained that Russian operators have been punching holes in the protective netting by sending one drone through first to break it open, then guiding a second drone through the gap. Since May, those drones have been maneuvering around the concrete sarcophagi and navigating through ventilation openings to reach the core piece of equipment inside: the autotransformer.
Destroying the autotransformer — valued at approximately $3.5 million in a 330-kilovolt substation — takes down the entire transformer unit, according to Oleksandr Kharchenko, head of the Energy Research Centre in Kyiv.
The Centre for Information Resilience has confirmed at least four successful strikes on large, well-protected 330 kV substations, along with at least four more hits on smaller 110 kV facilities with less protection. According to Deepstate, an independent organization that produces an online battlefield map, the targeted 330 kV substations are located between 16 and 26 kilometers — roughly 10 to 16 miles — from the front lines, highlighting the increasing operational range of these fiber-optic drones.
“I think why they’ve started using them is because of these protective sarcophagi. They protect against missiles and Shaheds,” Scriven said, referring to the heavy-duty drones Russia has previously used in attacks.
A fiber-optic FPV drone can be built for as little as $2,000. “The cost-benefit analysis there is staggering,” Scriven added.
He said the pattern of strikes suggests Russia is pursuing a deliberate strategy: first isolating Ukrainian regions from the national power grid, then blacking them out entirely by hitting local power stations.
The Sumy region has endured intense Russian bombardment since the summer of 2024, when Ukraine launched a cross-border offensive into Russian territory from the province. That push was eventually repelled, after which Russia launched its own incursion into Sumy.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said the security situation in the region had worsened in June. “Russia’s goal is to terrorise people and make life in the border regions unbearable,” he wrote.
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants against senior Russian military commanders in connection with attacks on Ukraine’s power grid between 2022 and 2023. Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians and maintains that all of its strikes serve a military purpose.
China’s military fired a ballistic missile equipped with a dummy warhead from one of its nuclear-powered submarines into the southern Pacific Ocean on Monday, giving the country’s leadership a rare chance to assess some of the most complex and secretive aspects of its growing nuclear deterrent, according to analysts and diplomats.
Experts say the ability to command, control, and maintain communications with nuclear-armed submarines operating in secret presents enormous challenges — a concern that weighs heavily on the Chinese Communist Party leadership, for whom military loyalty is a top priority.
“This aspect is certainly something that would have been very much evaluated, besides looking at the actual technical capabilities of the missile and submarine,” said Collin Koh, a security scholar at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
Koh added: “There are still challenges ahead but it would seem they are getting close to an operational strike capability here…they are probably trying to demonstrate that even if they can’t get into a position to hit the continental U.S., they could still target Guam and Hawaii.”
The United States characterized the weapon as an intercontinental ballistic missile that came down in the southern Pacific Ocean. Chinese state media and government officials, however, described the launch as a “routine” military exercise that was not aimed at any particular country or target and was carried out professionally. China’s defense ministry did not respond to questions from Reuters.
Monday’s test was China’s most notable long-range ballistic missile launch since September 2024, when the People’s Liberation Army fired a missile into the southern Pacific from a mobile launcher located on Hainan Island in the South China Sea.
Analysts and academics identified the submarine involved as one of China’s six Type-094 nuclear-powered submarines, known as SSBNs — large vessels designed to launch nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles. Chinese state media confirmed it was a strategic missile submarine but did not name the specific class.
Military observers say China’s SSBN operations, which are based out of Hainan Island, are among the most carefully watched components of the country’s military modernization effort. These submarines are central to China’s nuclear deterrent strategy by ensuring what is known as a second-strike capability — meaning China could retaliate even if its land-based nuclear weapons were wiped out in an enemy first strike. This is considered especially significant given China’s official policy of not being the first to use nuclear weapons in a conflict.
The U.S. and its allies work to monitor Chinese submarines using naval ships, underwater sensor networks at key ocean passages, and surveillance aircraft including the P-8 Poseidon, which carries advanced maritime detection equipment. Such monitoring efforts are expected to grow as China’s submarine capabilities improve.
A 2022 Pentagon report stated that China had begun conducting near-continuous deterrence patrols with its SSBNs. The U.S., Russia, France, and Britain have maintained similar nuclear patrol capabilities for decades, and India is currently developing its own fleet of SSBNs.
A study released this week by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a Chicago-based research organization, noted that while U.S. officials have not publicly confirmed that China’s submarines carry nuclear warheads during patrols, some officials have told the study’s authors so in private conversations.
The study also noted that “President Xi Jinping’s purge of military officials — including leaders of the People’s Liberation Army’s rocket force — make it seem unlikely that nuclear warheads would be handed over to the military under normal circumstances.”
The exact location of Monday’s launch and the specific missile used have not been confirmed. However, analysts note that for a Chinese submarine to reach the continental United States using its most advanced submarine-launched missile — the JL-3 — it would need to travel beyond the South China Sea into the western Pacific, where it could risk detection by rival naval forces.
The JL-3, believed to carry multiple warheads and publicly displayed during a military parade in Beijing in September 2025, has a reported range of 10,000 kilometers, or about 6,214 miles. The Type-094 submarine is expected to eventually be replaced by a quieter, more advanced model currently in development.
China’s state-affiliated Global Times newspaper said the missile launch demonstrated the country’s ongoing effort to strengthen its “nuclear triad” — the capacity to deploy nuclear weapons from land, sea, and air. An editorial in the publication stated: “This will compel external powers and their followers to abandon attempts aimed at forcing Chinese concessions through maximum military pressure or pre-emptive strikes, thereby fundamentally reducing the risk of large-scale conflict.”
Ten years ago, the Philippines scored a major legal win against China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea — but for the fishermen of Masinloc who once relied on Scarborough Shoal for their livelihoods, that victory has meant very little on the water.
The shoal, one of the most fiercely disputed stretches of ocean in Asia, has remained under China’s effective control since 2012. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration — an international tribunal — determined that Beijing’s broad maritime claims had no legal foundation. The tribunal also noted that the shoal’s waters, known to China as Huangyan Dao, are traditional fishing grounds used by several nations including the Philippines, China, and Vietnam. However, the ruling stopped short of determining which country holds sovereignty over the shoal itself.
Fishermen from the coastal town of Masinloc once tried to access the shoal under the cover of darkness, hoping to avoid Chinese vessels. Now, many say they’ve stopped going altogether, citing an intensified Chinese effort to block and chase them away.
Rony Drio, 59, hasn’t returned to the area since 2024. His fellow fisherman Henrilito Empoc, 47, last visited in 2022. Both men now fish much closer to shore.
When news of the 2016 ruling spread, Empoc said the reaction among fishermen was one of hope. “When we heard that we had won, what came to our minds and hearts was the freedom to fish again and the hope of a better livelihood,” he recalled.
That hope, however, quickly faded. Empoc says he has witnessed Chinese vessels fire water cannons at Filipino fishing boats, and has had his anchor lines cut by Chinese personnel in efforts to force him out. “They took away our right to fish,” said Empoc, who now drives a motorized tricycle taxi to help make ends meet.
Drio described an incident from a few years ago in which Chinese personnel ordered him and another fisherman out of the shoal’s lagoon. Because the water was too shallow for their boat, the two men were forced to drag it over jagged coral. “The coral hurt our feet, but what hurt more was what they were doing to us,” he said.
China’s embassy in Manila did not respond to a request for comment on the fishermen’s allegations. Beijing has consistently refused to recognize the tribunal’s ruling, maintaining that it holds “indisputable sovereignty over Huangyan Island and its adjacent waters.”
Scarborough Shoal has remained a persistent flashpoint between Manila and Beijing. Earlier this year, tensions flared again after China installed a floating barrier at the entrance to the shoal’s lagoon — a structure that was eventually removed following protests from the Philippines. Beijing has also floated a proposal to turn the shoal into a nature reserve, a plan Manila has condemned as a “clear pretext for occupation.”
Diplomats and analysts have expressed concern that ongoing confrontations in the South China Sea could spiral into armed conflict. In June 2024, a Filipino sailor lost a finger during a violent clash with the Chinese coast guard while on a resupply mission to Second Thomas Shoal, where the Philippines maintains a grounded warship.
Philippine officials argue the tribunal’s ruling has bolstered the country’s legal standing and supported a policy of publicly documenting confrontations at sea. The decision has also helped expand defense ties with allies, including deepened military and maritime cooperation with the United States, Japan, and Australia.
Jay Batongbacal, director at the Institute of Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea at the University of the Philippines, said China’s aggressive behavior has actually worked against its own interests. “Without China’s actions, the number of allies and security partners for the Philippines definitely would not have increased,” he said.
But for fishermen like Drio and Empoc, geopolitical gains offer no comfort. “We won in 2016, but it doesn’t feel like a victory to me,” Drio said.
Bayer announced Friday that it has reached a deal with Apollo-managed funds worth €3 billion — approximately $3.4 billion — in equity financing connected to its long-acting reversible contraceptives, known as LARC, division.
Under the terms of the agreement, Apollo funds and their affiliates will receive a minority, non-controlling stake in a newly created entity that will house the LARC business. Bayer will hold a majority stake and retain what the company described as “complete operational control” over the division.
Despite the new structure, Bayer confirmed the contraceptives business will continue to function as part of its pharmaceuticals division’s core operations and will remain fully consolidated within the company’s overall financial accounts.
Bayer’s Chief Financial Officer Judith Hartmann described the arrangement as a “strategic financing solution” designed to strengthen the company’s balance sheet and improve financial flexibility. She noted the company is managing “increased liquidity requirements this year related to bond maturities and litigation procedures.”
Bayer said the transaction is anticipated to close during the third quarter of 2026, pending antitrust regulatory approval and other standard conditions.
Russian authorities reported Friday that a drone strike set fire to the Ilsky oil refinery located in the southern Krasnodar region, while a separate attack on the city of Taganrog prompted officials to evacuate nearby residents.
According to preliminary reports from local officials, no one was hurt in either incident.
In recent months, Ukraine has intensified its targeting of Russian energy facilities and other key infrastructure as part of its strategy to weaken Moscow’s ability to sustain its war effort. The Ilsky refinery, which has a processing capacity of roughly 138,000 barrels of oil per day, has been the target of multiple attacks in the past.
These repeated strikes on fuel-processing facilities have contributed to fuel shortages throughout Russia, with long lines forming at gas stations and prices rising across the country.
In Russia’s Rostov region, Governor Yury Slyusar announced via Telegram that crews were working to extinguish fires at two separate fuel depots as well as at the Taganrog sea port.
Taganrog Mayor Svetlana Kambulova posted on the Max messaging app that residents living in the affected neighborhoods had been evacuated from their homes. She noted that a private residence sustained damage and that the roof of an administrative building also caught fire.
Russia’s Defence Ministry stated that air defense units had shot down 376 Ukrainian drones during the overnight assault.
UAE telecommunications company E& announced Friday it has agreed to offload its entire ownership stake in British mobile giant Vodafone to the family investment group of French billionaire Xavier Niel in a deal worth $5.95 billion.
Under the terms of the agreement, Vodafone shares are valued at 112.5 pence each — representing a 15% premium above the stock’s most recent closing price of 97.76 pence. E& said the transaction is expected to generate a net cash return of roughly $1.3 billion for the company.
The Abu Dhabi-headquartered firm said its choice to exit the Vodafone investment reflected what it described as the “natural evolution” of its business strategy, aimed at sharpening its focus on core operations while freeing up capital from the sale.
Niel is the founder and owner of French telecommunications company Iliad. Iliad Group had not responded to a request for comment at the time of reporting.
According to E&, the shares will be transferred through off-market block trades to three financial institutions simultaneously. Those institutions will hold the shares until the Niel family group’s acquisition vehicle has satisfied all required regulatory approvals.
E& also confirmed it would no longer seek to play any role in shaping Vodafone’s board decisions or management direction. The company’s representative on Vodafone’s board has already stepped down from the non-executive director position.
Vodafone had not issued any public statement regarding the stake sale at the time of this report.
JOHANNESBURG — Anger over joblessness, crime, and years of sluggish economic growth has been driving a wave of anti-migrant protests across South Africa. But economists are sounding the alarm: pushing out foreign workers could actually harm the very businesses and job markets that protest organizers claim they want to defend.
Anti-migrant feelings have been growing sharply in recent months, reaching a peak with a nationwide demonstration on June 30. While the protests were mostly peaceful, the threat of violence has been enough to send thousands of African migrants packing and leaving South Africa behind.
Their exit, economists say, threatens to leave serious gaps in industries that have depended heavily on foreign labor — including construction, farming, delivery services, and small neighborhood shops — while also weakening the country’s large informal economy.
Mpho Lenoke, a lecturer at North-West University, explained that migrants tend to fill roles that are hard to staff. “Migrants typically find work in sectors where vacancies are difficult to fill, including farming, construction, hospitality, retail, transport and the informal sector,” Lenoke said.
United Nations figures show that approximately 2.6 million migrants were living in South Africa as of 2024, making up roughly 5% of the total population. Although current data on their economic impact is limited, estimates from the OECD and ILO based on 2010 modeling put migrants’ contribution to the country’s GDP at around 9%.
Lenoke also noted the broader benefits migrants bring. “Many foreign nationals are starting businesses that employ South Africans and bring competition, which is good for consumers,” she said. “International experience suggests that restrictions on migrant labour often have unintended economic consequences.”
The protests have already caused visible disruptions in parts of the retail world. Foreign-owned spaza shops — informal convenience stores typically run out of garages, makeshift stalls, or shipping containers — play a significant role in South Africa’s informal economy, supporting wholesalers, property owners, and local workers alike.
Sixty60, the grocery delivery service operated by Shoprite Group, Africa’s largest food retailer, experienced service disruptions during the most recent wave of protests. According to company figures, fewer than one in four of its delivery drivers held South African citizenship.
The anti-migrant movement has been gaining strength for years as South Africa has struggled with weak economic performance. The World Bank lowered its 2026 growth forecast for the country to 1.0% in June, down from a previous estimate of 1.4%. Meanwhile, Statistics South Africa reported an unemployment rate of nearly one-third during the first quarter of the year, leaving 8.1 million people out of work.
Those difficult conditions have stoked resentment toward migrants. However, a study conducted by the International Labour Organization using labor force survey data found that when immigrant participation in the workforce rises, job opportunities for South African-born workers tend to increase as well.
Beyond the labor market, protests themselves can damage the economy through looting and forced business closures, according to Susanna Deetlefs of ACLED. “Supply chains are disrupted, jobs are lost, and access to goods and services is curtailed when tensions escalate,” she said.
So far, investors have not panicked, but they are taking note of the growing unrest as a new risk factor. “It is a significant social problem in South Africa that investors keep hearing about, but they actually haven’t seen an actual real-life impact of it,” said Kaan Nazli, an emerging markets debt portfolio manager at Neuberger Berman. “Now, with these protests, this is a risk.”
The consequences stretch well beyond South Africa’s borders. According to ILO data, South Africa is the region’s primary source of remittances and its largest host of working-age migrants. A joint report from FinMark Trust and the South African Reserve Bank found that money sent out of the country more than tripled between 2016 and 2024, reaching over 19 billion rand — approximately $1.16 billion — in 2024.
Nearly 90% of those transfers to southern Africa went to Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe, with Zimbabwe alone receiving more than 60% of the total amount.
MIAMI (AP) — Ashleigh Hallam spends her days teaching English to non-native speakers at a library in Indiana. These days, soccer is returning the favor — giving her an unexpected introduction to Spanish.
For Hallam, watching this World Cup on a Spanish-language channel just makes sense.
She’s part of a surprisingly large group of English-speaking Americans who have been tuning into World Cup matches on Telemundo — despite having limited or zero understanding of what the commentators are actually saying.
“I can’t really understand everything they’re saying on Telemundo because they’re speaking in Spanish,” Hallam said. “But you understand what’s going on.”
The numbers tell an interesting story. U.S. Census data shows that approximately 20% of the American population is Hispanic, yet Telemundo, citing Nielsen ratings, says that close to half of all World Cup viewers in the country have watched at least a portion of the tournament in Spanish. Every match has been available in English through Fox or FS1, in Spanish on Telemundo or Universo, and through streaming platforms like Fox One or Peacock.
Viewers who spoke with The Associated Press gave several reasons for making the switch: the thrill of beloved announcer Andrés Cantor’s iconic “¡goooooool!” call; the fact that Telemundo keeps the camera on the field during hydration breaks instead of cutting to commercials like Fox does; a general sense that the Spanish broadcasts are simply more fun to watch; and for some, a financial reason — Peacock, which carries Telemundo, costs less than Fox One.
Jackson Braunius, originally from Michigan, watched a U.S. match from a barstool at a steakhouse in Miami Lakes, Florida. He admitted his Spanish vocabulary is almost nonexistent — “I know ‘cerveza,’” he said, tapping his beer — but said watching on Telemundo didn’t bother him at all.
“I figured out the science here,” Braunius said. “When they’re not talking too loud, nothing is happening. When they get loud, there’s a chance. When they get real loud, it’s probably going to be a goal.”
Comedian Trevor Noah has been hosting World Cup watch parties on YouTube and made the move to Spanish-language broadcasts himself, largely because of the commercial break issue.
“We’re seeing the players on the pitch discussing what’s happening. You see which coach is more stressed. Some players are tapping each other on the back. This is part of the game,” Noah said during one of his YouTube streams. “I feel like when you cut to ads, you lose this — you lose the stress, you lose the joy, the anticipation. So, shout out again, Telemundo: Really, really amazing coverage.”
Telemundo has acknowledged the wave of praise, publicly thanking English-speaking viewers — and Noah personally — for the kind words about its coverage.
Meanwhile, there appear to be plenty of viewers to go around. The tournament’s strong performance could spark a competitive bidding situation for the 2030 World Cup rights, with reports indicating that English-language and Spanish-language broadcast rights may be bundled together in that deal — something that was not the case for this tournament.
Fox Sports reported that the Belgium-U.S. match on Monday night peaked at around 41 million viewers at one point, calling it the “most-watched soccer telecast in U.S. history.” Combined viewership between Fox, which averaged 33 million, and Telemundo, which drew an estimated 12 million, put the average at no fewer than 45 million — making it the most-watched U.S. broadcast event since the Super Bowl. For comparison, the most recent Super Bowl drew an average audience of roughly 125 million, according to Nielsen data.
William Kennedy of Miami is married to a Colombian woman whose first language is Spanish. He says he only knows enough Spanish to order food at a restaurant, yet he frequently finds himself watching World Cup matches on Telemundo.
When Colombia was playing, the Kennedy household was definitely on Telemundo. Even after Colombia was eliminated in a penalty shootout against Switzerland, Kennedy said he still tends to drift toward Telemundo.
“When the American commentators are doing the game, I don’t know what game they’re watching. I just don’t,” Kennedy said. “I’d rather get the excitement in Spanish because essentially what happens is they’re talking, and then they’re talking really, really fast, and then they’re getting loud and your brain is just like, ‘Oh, something’s happening — even if I don’t know what’s happening.’”
Hallam said the World Cup has actually strengthened her connection with her Spanish-speaking students. She only became a serious soccer fan a few years ago when her daughter wanted to join a recreational league for elementary school-aged kids. The league needed coaches, so Hallam literally checked out a “coaching for dummies” book and taught herself the sport from scratch.
She went on to coach her daughter all the way through high school. Now she’s a devoted soccer fan and a devoted Telemundo viewer — and she plans to keep watching Spanish-language broadcasts long after the World Cup wraps up.
“It’s just very comforting,” Hallam said. “We’ve really enjoyed it and I hope we get to continue. The next World Cup, we’re going to watch it just like this.”
As evening fell over the fields of Gurdaspur, India, villagers crowded into the courtyard of a Sikh temple to watch a film that Indian authorities have blocked from public view.
The movie, called “Satluj,” is based on the true story of a human rights activist who uncovered thousands of cases of disappearances and unlawful killings during a government crackdown on a separatist movement in India’s Punjab state during the 1980s and early 1990s.
At the Gurdaspur screening, elderly survivors of the insurgency sat alongside teenagers who were born long after the conflict had ended. When the film began to play, the crowd went completely quiet.
Originally released under the title “Punjab 95,” the movie spent three years in limbo after India’s censor board demanded more than 120 changes. Unable to secure a traditional theatrical release, it eventually debuted on the ZEE5 streaming service — but was pulled from the platform in India just two days later.
That removal sparked an unexpected response.
Throughout villages across Punjab, Sikh organizations, local activists, and ordinary residents began setting up community screenings using copies of the film that had been shared online. Temple grounds and village gathering spaces were transformed into open-air theaters, where audiences came not only to watch a movie but to witness a retelling of one of India’s most painful internal conflicts.
“Satluj” is drawn from the life of rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, whose investigation into alleged unlawful killings brought to light one of the darkest chapters in Punjab’s history. The conflict saw Sikh militant groups fighting for an independent Khalistan go up against Indian security forces, with thousands of civilians, militants, and police officers losing their lives.
During that period, human rights groups documented claims of forced disappearances, killings in custody, and secret cremations. Khalra’s investigation alleged that thousands of people who had vanished were cremated by police in secret, without notifying families or keeping any official records.
Khalra was abducted in 1995 and subsequently killed. A number of police officers were later convicted in connection with his murder.
Though the insurgency was ultimately suppressed and support for Khalistan diminished within Punjab, the Indian government still considers separatist sentiment a national security threat. Officials have not publicly explained why the film was removed, but told local media outlets it was taken down for security reasons.
The community screenings are organized through grassroots effort. Residents supply projectors, speakers, and power generators. Sikh temples and village community spaces serve as makeshift outdoor theaters for the evening, and volunteers spread news of each event door to door.
Inderjeet Singh Bains, who helps coordinate screenings in the Gurdaspur district, said the goal is to create spaces where people can come together, watch the film, and reflect on a period of Punjab’s history that still resonates across generations.
“When we screen the film, we see our elders and mothers, many of them 60 or 70 years old, crying because they have lost their sons. Our people have endured immense suffering,” Bains said.
Gurmukh Singh, who attended one of the screenings, said the film gave a voice to stories that younger people in Punjab had only heard in pieces. For families in his village, he said, the insurgency is not a distant historical event but a lived reality — many lost loved ones to the violence.
“After watching the movie, there is a feeling of the grief our earlier generations had to bear,” Singh said.
The removal of “Satluj” has reignited a broader conversation about freedom of artistic expression in India, where films have increasingly faced censorship battles under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government. Critics say such conflicts have grown more common and accuse the government of favoring films that fit its nationalist message.
“Everything happened right before our eyes, so what is there to oppose? The truth is coming to light, and people should be allowed to see it,” said Balwinder Singh, a Sikh religious leader.
The government maintains that film certification decisions are made independently and in accordance with the law.
In a statement, ZEE5 said the film would no longer be available for viewing in India “in light of current developments,” but added that it would pursue “every appropriate avenue through due process” to have it restored.
Diljit Dosanjh, the lead actor who portrays Khalra in the film, said he is not worried about whether the movie remains available online, because once people have seen it, “it cannot be erased.”
That idea appears to be taking hold across Punjab’s villages.
Inside the temple courtyard in Gurdaspur, viewers watched scenes depicting police killings, crackdowns, and families desperately searching for answers. After the film ended, many stayed behind to talk, comparing what they had seen on screen with memories they had carried for decades.
Pawan Deep Kaur described the film as a heartbreaking portrayal of the suffering endured by the older generation.
LONDON — In what felt more like a scene from a heist film than a museum loan, the Bayeux Tapestry quietly arrived at the British Museum in the middle of the night Friday — marking the first time the irreplaceable medieval masterpiece has been on English ground in nearly a millennium.
The elaborate, high-security operation was shrouded in secrecy from start to finish. Every detail of the tapestry’s transport had been kept tightly under wraps due to security concerns, and the slightest mishap could have had catastrophic consequences for the fragile, ancient work.
“It feels extraordinary that after so much work and planning and care and thought that it’s actually happening,” said British Museum Director Nicholas Cullinan, who was on hand to witness the arrival. “It’s the first time in 1,000 years that such an important piece of British — French too — history is going to be on these shores. It’s incredibly exciting.”
The tapestry, which stretches 70 meters (230 feet) in length, was folded accordion-style and placed inside a climate-controlled case, which was then secured within a shock-absorbing cradle. The whole assembly was loaded onto a truck that made the crossing from France via a vehicle shuttle train through the Channel Tunnel.
The journey covered 350 miles (560 kilometers) over 11 hours, with a police escort accompanying the truck the entire way. Upon reaching the museum, workers carefully lowered the container — roughly the size of a small car — to the ground inside a loading bay. Museum staff, along with British and French diplomats who had gathered in hushed anticipation, erupted in applause when it safely arrived.
Before the tapestry can be unpacked and put on display, it will spend several days adjusting to its new environment. The British Museum expects the exhibition, which opens September 10 and runs through July 2027, to rank among the most popular in the institution’s history. Demand for tickets was staggering — 100,000 were snapped up on the first day they became available this month.
“It was like trying to get tickets to Glastonbury,” Cullinan said. “I don’t take for granted that people care that much about a 1,000-year-old embroidery. I think that’s an amazing thing.”
The artwork, crafted from wool thread stitched onto linen fabric, chronicles the events that led up to the Battle of Hastings in October 1066. That was when William, Duke of Normandy, defeated King Harald’s Anglo-Saxon army, ending Saxon rule and establishing William the Conqueror as the first Norman king of England.
Historians believe the tapestry was commissioned by Bishop Odo of Bayeux, who was William’s half brother, and was likely sewn by women in England — possibly nuns — before being transported across the Channel. For most of the past thousand years, it has resided in the town of Bayeux in northwestern France, with only two brief stays at the Louvre in Paris.
Securing the loan was itself a significant diplomatic achievement. The arrangement was announced during a state visit to the United Kingdom by French President Emmanuel Macron in July 2025, and it coincides with renovation work at the French museum where the tapestry is normally housed.
As part of the agreement, the British Museum will send items from the Sutton Hoo hoard — artifacts recovered from a 7th-century Anglo-Saxon ship burial — along with other objects, on loan to museums in Normandy.
Retired British diplomat Peter Ricketts, who served as the U.K.’s special envoy for the tapestry and helped broker the deal, called it “an extraordinary mark of friendship and confidence in the U.K. to entrust this object to us for a year.”
Ricketts also shared his view of why the French president agreed to the loan: “Macron, when he offered us the tapestry, I think he understood that it would have far more impact in the U.K. than it does in France, because it’s more fundamental to our national story. Everybody (in Britain) knows 1066.”
The tapestry is remarkably detailed, featuring 627 people and 737 animals spread across 58 scenes. The imagery ranges from battlefield combat to mutilated bodies, including the famous depiction of King Harold being struck by an arrow through his eye.
“It has an emotional richness that is really difficult to get from written sources,” said Millie Horton-Insch, the project curator for the British Museum exhibition. “It just brings people closer to this history than any other object can. It’s not the same as reading a text. You are looking at something that was handled by the people who lived through it and felt compelled to record these events in this way.”
Horton-Insch also marveled at the tapestry’s survival across ten centuries of threats she described as “moths, mice, mold damp, fire,” suggesting its humble materials may have actually helped protect it.
“It’s not really made of any blingy fabric,” she said. “It’s not gold, it’s not silver. There wasn’t the same temptation to cut it up and make it into vestments or repurpose it for anything.”
Not everyone supported the move. Some French cultural figures argued that transporting the tapestry posed too great a risk. Cullinan said expert teams conducted two full trial runs of the journey beforehand to confirm the fragile piece could withstand the stress of travel.
“Such care has gone into it. I can’t think of a level of care for any other museum loan,” he said, adding that he understands why people have concerns. “The tapestry arouses great interest and passion. Which is a wonderful thing.”
BEIJING (AP) — China is preparing for yet another powerful storm as Typhoon Bavi approaches the country’s eastern coast, following a brutal week of weather disasters that have left 50 people dead across two separate regions of the country.
Typhoon Bavi is packing maximum sustained winds of 162 kilometers — roughly 101 miles — per hour. Before reaching mainland China, the storm was expected to pass north of Taiwan, dumping heavy rainfall on the island of 23 million residents from Friday evening through Saturday.
Authorities in Taipei, Taiwan’s capital city, shut down schools on Friday, and fishing vessels in northern Taiwan’s ports were secured tightly together as a precaution. Taiwan’s Central News Agency reported that numerous flights to Japan, Hong Kong, and other destinations were called off through Saturday, though some remained on schedule.
The typhoon’s current path to the northwest is projected to carry it over several remote Japanese islands before swinging past Taiwan’s northern edge on Saturday. Forecasters expect it to come ashore Saturday night in an area south of Shanghai, near where Fujian and Zhejiang provinces meet.
In preparation for the storm’s arrival, more than 17,000 residents have been evacuated in Zhejiang province, and 170,000 emergency workers have been placed on standby, according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency. Fujian province has halted certain ferry services due to dangerous wind and sea conditions and ordered fishing boats back to harbor.
Bavi had previously reached supertyphoon intensity earlier in the week, bringing destructive winds to Saipan and other U.S. territories in the Pacific Ocean, before losing some of its strength.
Meanwhile, in southern China, officials confirmed Thursday that Tropical Storm Maysak was responsible for 39 deaths. The storm drenched the Guangxi region with record-breaking rainfall over several days, causing widespread flooding.
The torrential rains overwhelmed reservoirs and triggered the partial collapse of a dam in Hengzhou, sending a surge of fast-moving, muddy water across a large area. Many residents were trapped on the second floors and higher of their homes for days, often without electricity, until rescue teams were able to reach them.
Elsewhere in China, 11 people lost their lives in Hubei province in central China when powerful thunderstorms and tornadoes struck on Monday night.
In a separate and unrelated incident, a landslide in Gansu province in western China killed 21 forestry workers on Tuesday — a tragedy with no connection to the recent storms.
European financial regulators are running into a wall when it comes to getting data from U.S. officials about the private credit market — and the friction is exposing a growing divide between the two sides of the Atlantic on financial oversight, according to officials familiar with the situation.
European authorities have grown increasingly worried about the global private credit industry, which is estimated at approximately $2 trillion and largely concentrated in the United States. Their concerns center on limited transparency, unclear asset valuations, and complicated funding arrangements within the sector.
Those concerns have been amplified by recent stress in the markets, including restrictions placed on withdrawals at certain funds and a string of notable corporate defaults — all of which have raised alarms about unseen risks quietly spreading through the broader financial system.
European supervisors have been pushing for detailed information on the assets that the financial institutions they regulate are exposed to, including specifics on borrowers, how investments are valued, and what guarantees back those investments.
However, U.S. Treasury officials have resisted sharing that data more broadly. Multiple sources say Treasury officials have argued the information is confidential and that requiring additional disclosures would place unnecessary burdens on companies.
Bundesbank board member Michael Theurer described the pushback in an interview, saying: “We feel some resistance from some supervisors around the world. There are arguments that they are not allowed to share — they have legal restrictions. And then there is the general criticism that these are new reporting requirements, a new bureaucratic burden.”
The conversations between U.S. and European supervisors have been taking place within international bodies, including the Financial Stability Board, according to other officials who asked not to be identified because FSB discussions are kept confidential.
A spokesperson for the FSB noted that inconsistent data and varying definitions make it difficult to compare private credit risks from one country to another, pointing to the need for better disclosure and shared reporting standards.
Some European officials have cautioned that if more information is not made available, regulators may have no choice but to impose tougher capital requirements on the banks they supervise in order to account for potential losses.
Spokespeople for both the Federal Reserve and the U.S. Treasury Department declined to comment. A spokesperson for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission — which represents the United States at the FSB alongside the Fed and Treasury — said the agency participates in those forums but takes seriously the confidentiality and legal limits around sharing certain information.
The data dispute is part of a broader transatlantic rift that extends across issues including international security, climate change, trade, market regulation, and technology.
At the heart of European regulators’ concerns is what they describe as an inability to truly see through private credit investment structures to understand where risks ultimately end up.
Recent analysis from the European Central Bank suggests that direct exposure among euro zone banks is relatively contained — estimated at around €62.5 billion, or approximately $71.46 billion, which equals just 0.2% of total assets. Insurers hold roughly €211 billion in exposure, while pension funds hold around €52 billion. Those exposures are concentrated among a small number of large institutions, particularly in Germany, France, and the Netherlands.
Still, officials say that looking at the big picture is no longer sufficient. They are especially worried about the risk of contagion spreading from the United States and want granular information on the underlying assets, borrowers, valuations, and guarantees tied to private credit investments.
Regulators say it is becoming harder to track financial risk as private credit assets get repackaged and moved through multiple layers of the financial system, creating complex links between banks, insurance companies, and pension funds.
Theurer of the Bundesbank put it plainly: “There are cascades of different investment layers — collateralised loan obligations, leveraged lending, asset-intensive reinsurances — and it is possible to combine all of them. That makes the underlying risks opaque.”
The ECB recently ran a simulation of a severe shock to global private credit markets and concluded that direct losses would be manageable for banks and investors. However, the exercise also revealed that the most significant damage would likely come not from the private credit loans themselves, but from broader market selloffs and valuation losses rippling through the financial system — a finding that has deepened supervisors’ concerns that aggregate exposure figures may be understating the true level of risk.
One European policymaker summed up the frustration this way: “Where is the money? Where is the risk? What kind of assets are underneath and how are they valued?”
In the United States, Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman said in May that default and loss rates among non-bank lenders would need to be “abnormally high” before banks would be put at serious risk, adding that bank loans to private credit firms appeared to be well secured. She also noted that the Fed is working to make its reporting requirements more detailed when it comes to bank lending to non-banks, in order to better gauge concentration risks.
MILAN — When you think of cutting-edge artificial intelligence infrastructure, the local post office probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But Italy is doing just that, tapping its national postal service to lead the country’s push into the digital age.
Poste Italiane — the postal organization behind Italy’s 12,600 post offices, which are fixtures in remote communities much like the local church — has placed a €13.5 billion (roughly $15.4 billion) bid to acquire Telecom Italia, known as TIM. The goal is to fast-track its expansion into digital, telecommunications, and cloud services.
The Italian government owns two-thirds of Poste, which began its digital transformation in the early 2000s by moving into electronic payments. Over the last decade, it has enrolled 30 million users — about 70% of the eligible population — into Italy’s digital ID system used to access government services online.
With 46 million customers across banking, insurance, telecommunications, and energy, Poste also uses its branch network — the largest retail network in Italy — to help less tech-savvy citizens with services like passport applications.
The proposed TIM acquisition fits into a wider European trend of building sovereign cloud infrastructure. Countries like Germany and France are developing domestic cloud and AI systems to serve sensitive sectors including defense, healthcare, and public administration.
A person familiar with the plans said Poste believes the combined company could build a distributed computing network across Italy. Even without the massive financial resources of U.S. tech giants like Amazon, Google, or Microsoft, the new entity could position itself as a supplier to those very companies, the source added.
Large technology firms routinely purchase infrastructure services — including fiber networks, data center capacity, and local network access points — from telecom operators.
TIM currently ranks among Italy’s top three data center operators, with 125 megawatts of installed capacity. However, Italy’s overall installed capacity is only about 15% of Germany’s.
According to the person briefed on the plans, a combined Poste-TIM could expand computing power at distributed telecom hubs and repurpose old postal sorting facilities as local edge-computing centers, bringing processing power physically closer to end users. TIM’s mobile network sites could eventually factor into that strategy as well.
Both Poste and TIM declined to offer comment on the plans.
Antonio Capone, dean of the School of Industrial and Information Engineering at Milan’s Politecnico University, said the broader industry is already moving in this direction. “As demand for data centres grows, the industry is increasingly looking at networks of smaller facilities located closer to users rather than just large, centralised sites,” he said.
Capone noted that telecom operators, with assets spread throughout the country, are well-suited to develop such facilities. “This is an emerging trend in the industry, and Poste is right to focus on it. Managing a distributed network is operationally more complex — think of maintenance, cooling or power management — but it is a challenge that makes strategic sense to embrace,” he added.
Europe already trails the United States significantly in AI investment and infrastructure, and Italy faces the additional burden of energy costs that are considerably higher than those in France or Spain.
TIM itself has had a difficult few decades. A troubled privatization roughly 30 years ago left the company weighed down by debt, and it has since faced fierce price competition that squeezed profits and limited its ability to invest in upgrades. While TIM cut its debt-to-profit ratio in half and nearly doubled revenue per employee following the 2024 sale of its fixed-line network to U.S. investment fund KKR, the company would still find it difficult to fund the large-scale 5G and cloud investments needed going forward.
Italy has made some headway on basic 5G, but AI-powered services demand more advanced 5G networks. In the United States, advanced 5G accounts for about one-fifth of all mobile connections. In Europe, only Spain has surpassed the 5% mark.
“Building a 5G network is extremely capital intensive and you need scale to make it viable: you cannot sustain four mobile network operators in a market like Italy,” said a leading TIM investor, who requested anonymity. The investor said the investment case depends heavily on anticipated industry consolidation.
TIM currently competes against Vodafone-Fastweb, WindTre, and Iliad. WindTre, which is owned by Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison, and France’s Iliad began exploring a potential merger — a development Reuters reported last year — though no agreement has been reached.
Poste already holds a 20% stake in TIM. A full takeover would allow Italy to benefit from higher profits at the former phone monopoly if the number of competing operators were to shrink to three through long-discussed consolidation.
The anonymous investor noted that a rise in Poste’s share price following the announcement suggests the market believes the deal’s benefits could surpass the targeted €700 million. The investor also pointed to the potential for a state-backed entity to manage sensitive communications, including in the defense sector, and highlighted Poste’s “low-leverage business with strong cash generation from payments, insurance and financial services.”
Poste has stated that the deal would help TIM grow beyond its traditional consumer telecom business — which has been contracting for over a decade — and move into higher-margin services for corporate clients, including cloud computing and cybersecurity.
Claudio Baretti, a partner at consultancy AlixPartners, said the business logic is compelling. “From a commercial standpoint the combination has a strong rationale: an even wider bundle of services could be offered to an even larger client base. That increases switching costs and helps customer retention,” he said.
Framber Valdez put together an outstanding evening on the mound Thursday, tossing seven innings of one-run baseball to guide the Detroit Tigers past the visiting Athletics by a score of 4-1.
Valdez, who improved to 5-6 on the season, was untouchable early — retiring the first 11 batters he faced. He surrendered only three hits, fanned nine, and did not issue a single walk. Jake Rogers, Zach McKinstry, and Eduardo Valencia each went deep for Detroit, which has now won five games in a row and completed a series sweep over Oakland. The A’s have now dropped six consecutive contests.
Valencia’s home run carried a special significance. Called up to provide catching depth while starter Dillon Dingler nurses a right-hand contusion, Valencia entered as a pinch hitter for Kerry Carpenter in the seventh inning. The 26-year-old Venezuelan launched a shot to center field off Hogan Harris — making him the 10th player in Tigers history to hit a home run in his very first major league at-bat.
For Oakland, Jacob Wilson went 2-for-4, and all five of the Athletics’ hits were singles. Jack Perkins dropped to 2-5 after serving as the bulk reliever on a scheduled bullpen day, giving up three runs across three innings.
Rangers 7, Angels 6
Wyatt Langford singled home Alejandro Osuna with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, lifting Texas to a walk-off win over the visiting Los Angeles Angels and moving the Rangers into first place in the American League West. The victory came in the rubber match of a three-game series.
Langford had been activated off the injured list earlier that day following a stint on the shelf with a hamstring strain. He lined a 1-1 fastball from Angels reliever Kirby Yates — who fell to 0-4 — over the head of left fielder Jose Siri to plate Osuna. Brandon Nimmo went 2-for-4 with a homer and two runs scored, Justin Foscue homered and doubled with two RBIs, and Ezequiel Duran added a two-run blast for Texas.
Nolan Schanuel was 4-for-4 with two doubles, two RBIs, and a run scored for Los Angeles, while Wade Meckler contributed two hits, two runs, and an RBI. The Angels have now lost eight of their last nine games.
Braves 10, Pirates 5
Mike Yastrzemski crushed his third career grand slam in the ninth inning to blow the game open and secure Atlanta’s first series victory in Pittsburgh in four years.
Rookie Jim Jarvis went 3-for-5 and hit the first home run of his career, while Matt Olson added a solo shot for the Braves. Dylan Dodd improved to 2-0 after throwing a perfect fifth inning in relief of starter Bryce Elder, who gave up four hits and four runs — three earned — in four innings.
Jake Mangum collected four hits including a homer and drove in three runs for Pittsburgh. Bryan Reynolds and Esmerlyn Valdez hit back-to-back solo home runs in the third inning. Pirates starter Mitch Keller fell to 6-7 after lasting just three innings — a season-low — while allowing three runs on four hits.
Red Sox 2, White Sox 1
Caleb Durbin belted a two-run homer and Patrick Sandoval pitched well in his first major league appearance in two years as Boston extended its winning streak to eight games and swept the host Chicago White Sox.
Sandoval had been sidelined by Tommy John surgery and additional injuries since June 21, 2024. Making his Red Sox debut, he scattered five hits and one run over 4 1/3 innings. Tyron Guerrero improved to 1-1 by recording five outs in relief, and Aroldis Chapman earned his 19th save. Boston managed just four hits, with Willson Contreras sitting out to begin serving a five-game suspension.
White Sox starter Anthony Kay dropped to 6-4 after allowing two runs on four hits in 5 1/3 innings. Colson Montgomery had two of Chicago’s seven hits. The White Sox made history in an unwanted way — becoming the first MLB team this season to go an entire three-game series without recording an extra-base hit.
Mets 7, Royals 3
Rookie Carson Benge and Francisco Alvarez each drove in runs with singles during a five-run fifth inning, Sean Manaea went a season-high seven innings, and the host New York Mets beat Kansas City to claim their first series win since mid-June.
Tyrone Taylor sparked the big inning with a tying home run to left field. Juan Soto also homered and reached base three times for New York. Manaea improved to 2-4, giving up three runs — two earned — on six hits. His seven-inning outing was his longest since the 2024 NLDS against Philadelphia.
Lane Thomas hit a leadoff homer and Bobby Witt Jr. also went deep for Kansas City. Starter Michael Wacha fell to 5-7 after turning in his worst outing of the season — 4 2/3 innings, six runs allowed on six hits — dropping the Royals to 4-10 over their last 14 games.
Yankees 12, Rays 4
Ben Rice slugged two home runs and finished with five RBIs and three runs scored as New York hammered Tampa Bay to split a four-game series in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Rice’s first blast came during a six-run Yankees third inning. Austin Wells chipped in a solo homer, and Ryan McMahon contributed two doubles and two RBIs. It marked the first time in 21 games that New York had scored at least six runs.
For Tampa Bay, Junior Caminero homered for the 12th time in 16 games. Chandler Simpson hit two triples, and Ben Williamson and Jonathan Aranda each had a pair of hits.
Orioles 3, Cubs 2
Jeremiah Jackson delivered a pinch-hit, two-run double in the eighth inning to put Baltimore ahead, helping the Orioles avoid a three-game sweep with a 3-2 victory over Chicago.
Tyler O’Neill, who had homered in each of his two at-bats the previous day after entering in the seventh inning, went deep again in the second inning Thursday — his sixth homer of the season, coming in three consecutive at-bats. Starter Trevor Rogers held the Cubs to one run on five hits over six innings.
Seiya Suzuki accounted for both of Chicago’s RBIs, homering in the sixth and delivering a go-ahead double in the eighth. Nico Hoerner and Pete Crow-Armstrong also had doubles for the Cubs, who out-hit Baltimore nine to three. David Peterson limited the Orioles to one run on two hits over five innings before Tyler Ferguson dropped to 0-1 after surrendering two runs in a third of an inning.
Guardians 5, Twins 2
Gavin Williams matched his season best with 11 strikeouts and Cleveland hit three solo home runs in a win over Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Williams improved to 10-4, allowing two runs on three hits over seven innings to snap a five-start stretch without a win. Gabriel Arias homered in the second, rookie Chase DeLauter hit the go-ahead shot in the sixth, and Patrick Bailey went deep in the ninth. Cleveland’s six hits consisted entirely of three home runs and three doubles.
For Minnesota, Royce Lewis scored on Tristan Gray’s RBI single in the fifth and led off the seventh with a home run. Lewis went 2-for-3, accounting for two of the Twins’ three total hits.
Marlins 8, Mariners 4
Janson Junk took the mound for the first time since May 25 and delivered five solid innings, leading a surging Miami squad to a win over the visiting Seattle Mariners.
Miami has now won six games in a row — matching its best winning streak of the season — and has also won 16 of its last 18 home games. Griffin Conine homered and finished with three hits as the Marlins provided Junk with plenty of run support. Junk gave up just one earned run on three hits.
Seattle received home runs from Randy Arozarena and Dominic Canzone but still dropped their third straight game. Bryce Miller fell to 4-3 as his ERA climbed from 1.71 to 2.18 after setting season-high marks across the board — nine hits, four walks, and six runs allowed in five innings.
Phillies 1, Reds 0
Justin Crawford plated pinch runner Derek Hill for the game’s lone run, backing seven masterful innings from Jesus Luzardo as visiting Philadelphia took the rubber game against Cincinnati.
Luzardo improved to 8-4, besting Reds starter Brady Singer — who dropped to 3-9 — and running his road record to 6-0 in 11 starts away from home this season. Jonathan Bowlan threw a perfect eighth inning and Jhoan Duran closed it out for his 23rd save in 24 opportunities.
Luzardo was lifted after seven innings having allowed just two hits, with 11 strikeouts and two walks. His road ERA now stands at 1.38. Singer was sharp as well, going a season-high 7 1/3 innings while allowing four hits, one walk, and striking out five.
Brewers 8, Cardinals 4
Jake Bauers and Brice Turang both went deep for Milwaukee as the Brewers capped a lengthy road trip in St. Louis by beating the Cardinals and winning four of the five games in the series.
Turang went 2-for-5 and Bauers went 2-for-4, joined by Jackson Chourio (2-for-5), Sal Frelick (2-for-4), and Cooper Pratt (2-for-3) in an 11-hit offensive effort. Bauers launched a three-run homer — his 17th of the year — to cap a four-run third inning. Turang hit his 13th home run of the season leading off the seventh, driving in two.
Jordan Walker homered for St. Louis, which managed just five hits and has now lost five of its last six games. Cardinals starter Andre Pallante dropped to 10-6 after surrendering six runs on eight hits and two walks over five innings.
MANILA — The Philippines announced Friday that an upcoming gathering of Southeast Asian foreign ministers will take up Myanmar’s devastating civil war and the question of how the regional bloc might restore ties with the country after a five-year freeze.
As the current chair of the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Philippines will host Sunday’s meeting in Bangkok — the first face-to-face session with Myanmar’s top diplomat since a military coup in 2021 set off a conflict that led to the ruling generals being barred from ASEAN summits.
That coup, carried out by an army that has governed Myanmar for five of the last six decades, unleashed widespread turmoil. A violent crackdown on protesters spiraled into a full-scale civil war, in which an estimated 100,000 people have lost their lives and millions more have been forced from their homes. The military has faced accusations of committing widespread atrocities, allegations it continues to deny.
Myanmar is now governed by a nominally civilian administration following elections held earlier this year. Former armed forces commander and junta leader Min Aung Hlaing now serves as president.
The Philippine foreign ministry emphasized that Myanmar remains a full member of ASEAN and clarified that Sunday’s session will be informal in nature. It will give Myanmar’s foreign minister an opportunity to brief regional counterparts on conditions inside the country.
According to a statement from the ministry, participants “are expected to exchange views on ASEAN’s engagement with Myanmar, as well as on possible concrete steps in which Myanmar may address concerns on the cessation of violence, constructive dialogue among concerned parties, and humanitarian assistance.”
Min Aung Hlaing has been working to break the deadlock with ASEAN and last week made his first official state visit to a fellow ASEAN member nation. A central reason for Myanmar’s exclusion from the bloc has been his failure to follow through on a “five-point consensus” he agreed to with ASEAN after the coup, which laid out a path toward de-escalation and dialogue between the warring factions.
However, efforts to normalize relations face a new obstacle. Myanmar’s military-aligned parliament has advanced a motion pushing back against that peace plan, labeling it interference in the country’s internal affairs and a breach of ASEAN’s foundational principles.
A lengthy front-page article published Friday in the Global New Light of Myanmar, the military’s official newspaper, reported that lawmakers had backed a resolution urging the government to challenge and review ASEAN’s stance.
The newspaper reported that “lawmakers from both houses largely supported the motion, arguing that ASEAN should reassess its position on Myanmar following political developments and the formation of a new elected government.”
BEIJING — China has accomplished a significant milestone in space technology, successfully testing an experimental system designed to recover a rocket booster at sea, according to the country’s state media.
The Long March 10B rocket launched from a commercial space facility in Hainan, a province in southern China. Roughly six minutes after the rocket’s booster separated from its upper stage, the booster descended vertically and was caught by a net mounted on an offshore platform, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
CCTV described the achievement as China’s first successful controlled recovery of a carrier rocket booster — a capability the country hopes will help it challenge the United States’ lead in reusable rocket technology.
A curated photo gallery covering the week of July 3 through July 9, 2026 offers a striking look at some of the most powerful moments across Latin America and the Caribbean.
On the soccer pitch, fans of Mexico and Brazil were left disappointed after both nations fell to England and Norway, respectively, during the World Cup knockout round. Meanwhile, Argentine supporters took to the streets in celebration after their team edged out Egypt in a thrilling 3-2 victory.
In Venezuela, communities continue to reel from twin earthquakes that struck two weeks ago. Recovery teams have pulled additional bodies from the debris as displaced residents work to piece their lives back together.
Across the water in Cuba, residents navigated their daily routines in darkness as a blackout left the entire island without power.
The gallery was put together by photo editor Leslie Mazoch, working out of Mexico City.
HONG KONG (AP) — Dog owners in Hong Kong are celebrating a long-awaited change that lets them bring their pets along when they go out to eat. The city has lifted a restriction that had been on the books since 1994, which limited restaurant access to only guide dogs and animals performing official duties.
The new policy, designed to foster a more pet-friendly culture, took effect Thursday and covers more than 900 restaurants participating in the first phase of the rollout.
This is one of several recent moves Hong Kong has made toward becoming more animal-inclusive. The city now permits pets on select ferry routes and certain metro train lines that serve rural areas, and public hospitals have begun allowing animals to visit patients receiving end-of-life care.
City officials report that more than 240,000 households — roughly 9% of all homes in Hong Kong — have at least one pet cat or dog, with the total number of pets exceeding 400,000.
At Wan Land Cafe, owner Kelvin Chan posted a sign letting customers know dogs are now welcome inside. Before the rule change, dogs could only be in the outdoor seating area, which posed problems during Hong Kong’s sweltering summer months.
Chan doesn’t expect the policy to dramatically increase his business, but as a dog owner himself, he sees it as an opportunity to shift attitudes. He acknowledged that while pet lovers are enthusiastic about the change, people who aren’t accustomed to dining near dogs may need some time to adjust.
He believes that well-behaved pets and responsible owners will gradually help those who are less comfortable with animals come around to the idea.
PROVO, Utah — Defense attorneys representing the man charged with fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk are set to call their final witness Friday, as they work to cast doubt on the prosecution’s evidence before a judge decides whether the case should proceed to trial.
A Utah judge is weighing whether there is sufficient evidence to try Tyler Robinson on a charge of aggravated murder. Kirk, who was 31 years old, was shot and killed while addressing a crowd of thousands at Utah Valley University on September 10th.
Defense attorney Michael Burt spent Thursday challenging the trustworthiness of ballistics testing conducted on a bullet fragment that was recovered from Kirk’s body. Investigators had hoped to connect that fragment to the suspected murder weapon, but the test results came back inconclusive.
Samantha Karner of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives testified about those results, saying, “Saying anything but inconclusive was inappropriate.”
Earlier in the week, Burt also took aim at DNA evidence that investigators claimed linked Robinson to the crime scene. Scientific experts have maintained that the underlying methods used in DNA testing are reliable.
Robinson has yet to enter a plea in the case. He turned himself in to authorities one day after the shooting. Kirk had been a close ally of President Donald Trump and was widely credited with helping energize young voters for the Republican Party during the 2024 election.
Friday marks the final day of the weeklong preliminary hearing, during which the defense planned to present one more witness. However, state District Judge Tony Graf has indicated he will not issue a ruling until after September 1st, when he has scheduled oral arguments in the matter.
On Thursday, prosecutors played portions of a recorded interview with Robinson’s roommate, Lance Twiggs. According to a recording aired in court, Robinson allegedly told Twiggs the day after Kirk was shot in the neck that “he wishes he hadn’t done it.”
Investigators also presented messages showing that roughly an hour before turning himself in — and on that same day — Robinson posted in a Discord social media chat room, writing “it was me at UVU yesterday.”
Defense lawyers had attempted to block the public release of both Twiggs’ statements and the chat room messages, arguing that prosecutors would frame the material as a confession, which they said could jeopardize Robinson’s right to a fair trial. That effort was unsuccessful.
Prosecutors are arguing that the shooting put other people at the campus event in danger — a factor that, under Utah law, could make the crime eligible for the death penalty. Robinson also faces potential sentence enhancements based on prosecutors’ claims that he targeted Kirk due to his political beliefs.
In his April interview with prosecutors and investigators, Twiggs said Robinson occasionally brought up politics, including discussions about Trump. However, Twiggs noted he had never heard Robinson mention Kirk prior to the shooting. Twiggs also said Robinson rarely discussed gender issues or LGBTQ rights.
A bus loaded with retired judges rolled through the American Rust Belt this week, stopping in small towns and major cities alike to deliver an urgent message: the rule of law in the United States is in serious jeopardy.
The four-day tour — called “Justice in Motion” — wrapped up Friday with a stop at a library in Grosse Pointe, a well-to-do suburb just outside Detroit. It marked the final destination of an unusual journey that took the judges through corn fields, coal towns, and urban centers across Ohio and Pennsylvania.
The timing was deliberate. Organizers chose the nation’s 250th anniversary as the backdrop for what they described as a dire warning about American democracy and the independence of its courts.
“Looking back in history, we have teetered,” said former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Michael Donnelly. “This is a moment where we can decide to reinstill those beliefs that we are a country of laws and not of men.”
The tour represents a significant break from the traditionally quiet and guarded nature of the judicial branch. Federal judges, in particular, typically confine their public remarks to the courtroom and their written rulings. But that long-standing restraint has been eroding.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly questioned the fairness of the judicial system and called a district judge who ruled against one of his immigration policies “crooked.” He has also suggested, without providing any evidence, that Supreme Court justices who struck down his tariffs were acting in the interests of foreign powers. Meanwhile, the administration has openly defied orders from U.S. district courts and pushed an expansive interpretation of executive authority.
More federal judges have recently come forward to report receiving death threats and offensive messages, though they have stopped short of blaming Trump or any specific officials. U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts addressed the situation in March, warning that personal attacks on federal judges were dangerous and needed to stop. That rare public statement came just two days after Trump’s “crooked” judge comment, though Roberts did not name anyone directly.
According to the U.S. Marshals Service, threats against federal judges reached 564 during the government fiscal year ending in September — up from 509 the previous year.
“I don’t want to say we have moved into an era of lawlessness, but it sometimes feels that way,” said former U.S. District Court Judge Victoria Roberts, who joined the tour at its Michigan stop.
Former federal judge Timothy Lewis, also on the tour, said his worries about the politicization of the courts reached a breaking point about a decade ago, when Senate Republicans blocked President Barack Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. Lewis, who served seven years on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, now believes the rule of law faces an “existential threat” from the steady erosion of democratic norms.
“I have fundamental concerns about where we are headed as a nation,” Lewis said.
The tour kicked off Tuesday in Greensburg, a western Pennsylvania town that was once a center of the coal industry. Judges chatted with patrons at a local coffee shop before speaking at the historic Westmoreland County Courthouse. The group then traveled to Washington, Pennsylvania — a town of about 13,000 people where roughly 15% of the population is Black, and which served as both a stop on the Underground Railroad and a regional hub for the Civil Rights Movement.
On Wednesday, the bus headed west to Columbus, Ohio, and then to Wooster in Amish country, with a stop at a Cracker Barrel along the way. Thursday brought events in Cleveland before the group circled north around Lake Erie into Michigan.
The tour was organized by two nonpartisan advocacy groups — the Democracy Rising Collaborative and Keep Our Republic — who drew inspiration from a similar effort in Poland in 2021. After that country’s ruling party seized control of key judicial institutions, independent Polish judges traveled to towns across the country to educate citizens about the constitution and the rule of law.
About 30 judges are participating in the U.S. tour, including two former federal judges and one current federal judge. Of the federal judges, one was nominated by a Democrat and the other two by Republicans. The state judges, some still serving on the bench, come from both parties. They have been joined by former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, former Ohio attorneys general, and several lawyers.
Former Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor said judges who stay silent risk allowing “voices of misinformation” to define the public’s understanding of the judiciary. She pointed to a letter she still keeps from years ago, in which the writer accused her — a Republican — of betraying her party when she repeatedly struck down Republican-drawn legislative maps as illegal gerrymanders.
“There was just a basic misunderstanding of what my role was as a judge,” O’Connor said.
Donnelly put it plainly when describing what is ultimately at stake: “The lifeblood of the judiciary is public confidence. If you lose that, it’s very difficult to get it back.”
Wall Street’s biggest financial institutions have collected a substantial payday following their work on SK Hynix’s enormous share offering, pulling in close to $260 million in fees — a welcome windfall after earning a relatively slim cut from SpaceX’s historic stock market debut just weeks earlier.
According to filings from SK Hynix, the fees represented roughly 0.97% of the total amount raised in the deal. That percentage was actually higher than what bankers received for their work on SpaceX’s initial public offering, where advisors took home $500 million — or about 0.67% — of the $75 billion raised. SpaceX’s IPO broke the previous record set by Saudi Aramco back in 2019, and also surpassed SK Hynix’s own U.S. listing this week in total size.
Citigroup came out on top among the banks advising on the SK Hynix deal, earning more than $70 million — a figure that exceeded what other banks on the transaction received by about 20%, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter. That source asked not to be identified because the information is confidential. Citigroup served as both a joint global coordinator and the depository bank for the offering. The bank declined to offer any comment on its fee earnings.
Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, and JPMorgan also served as global coordinators on the deal. JPMorgan declined to comment, while Bank of America and Goldman Sachs did not respond to requests for a statement.
South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix raised approximately $26.5 billion through the offering after setting its U.S. stock price at $149 per depository receipt. That price represented a 2.7% premium above the company’s average share price on the Seoul exchange over the prior three trading days.
Chinese gaming and internet giant Tencent is reportedly in discussions to take the top ownership stake in artificial intelligence startup Manus, according to two sources familiar with the situation who spoke on Friday.
The negotiations come after Chinese authorities ordered Meta to reverse its $2 billion purchase of the AI startup, prompting investors to search for other options.
The Financial Times was first to report on the Tencent discussions earlier that day.
According to one of the sources and a third individual who was briefed on the situation, Tencent — along with Manus’ original backers, including ZhenFund and HSG — are working on a plan to repurchase the company from Meta for a price of no less than $2 billion.
Tencent, Manus, Meta, and the two investment firms had not responded to requests for comment at the time of reporting.
Firefighters working to contain a small wildfire in Colorado this week found themselves with an unlikely companion — a goat who decided to join the effort and stick around for hours.
The four-legged visitor, a 4-year-old Nigerian dwarf goat named Goldie — short for Golden Oreo — shadowed crews as they battled the Rock Creek Fire in Colorado Springs and cleared away brush. She even pitched in a little herself, munching on leaves along the way.
According to Colorado Springs Fire Department Lt. Trevor Leland, the brown and white goat led firefighters down a hillside, followed them back to their trucks, watched as they wrapped up for the day, and even trotted behind one of the trucks as it pulled away.
“I don’t know that she necessarily helped with the firefighting effort, but it’s always cool to see an animal like that who doesn’t mind us being there,” Leland said.
Earlier that Thursday, Goldie spotted a U.S. Forest Service crew member eating lunch and tried to poke her head over his shoulder to snag a bite and spend some time with him, Leland added.
Goldie’s owner, Lindsey Glader, described her goat as quite the social butterfly — or, as Glader jokingly put it, a “buttergoat.”
Glader praised the firefighters, saying they did a phenomenal job on the blaze, which was 50% contained by late Friday. Crews were hoping to achieve full containment by the end of Friday, according to Ashley Franco, a spokesperson for the Colorado Springs Fire Department.
That fire is one of several burning across the western United States, with conditions worsened by a record lack of snowfall, elevated temperatures, and unpredictable winds. The Colorado Springs crew was also called to assist with the Aspen Acres Fire southwest of Denver, which forced thousands of residents to evacuate earlier this month.
Glader said Goldie seemed to sense that the crews could use an “extra boost of support” and showed up to deliver it.
“She was able to give some comedic relief and offer some necessary levity for these guys and gals who have worked really, really hard and creating a break for this fire, and keeping a lot of people and a lot of things safe,” Glader said.
A catastrophic wildfire burning in the Almeria region of southern Spain has claimed the lives of 12 people, the Emergency Agency of Andalucía confirmed in an early Friday announcement.
Antonio Sanz, the Minister of the Presidency, Health, and Emergencies, described the disaster in stark terms, calling it “the most devastating fire to date in our region” and labeling the situation an “unprecedented tragedy.”
More than 150 firefighters have been mobilized in an effort to bring the blaze under control.
Initial reports had placed the death toll at six. Juanma Moreno, who leads Spain’s southern Andalusia region, addressed those earlier confirmed deaths in a post on X, writing: “Our deepest condolences to the families of the six people who lost their lives in the Los Gallardos and the affection from all of us to the municipalities affected by the fire.”
Australia has confirmed its first detection of the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain in a native seabird, signaling a new stage in the virus’s expansion across the country.
The infected bird — a greater crested tern — was found in the South Australian coastal town of Robe. Laboratory analysis conducted by Australia’s national science agency confirmed the positive result, Agriculture Minister Julie Collins announced.
Until now, every confirmed H5N1 case in Australia had involved migratory seabirds. This marks the first time the virus has been found in a bird species native to the country.
Friday’s announcement also included confirmation of two additional infections in South Australia and one in Western Australia, pushing the nation’s total number of confirmed detections to 12.
Collins described the situation as “concerning” but said it was not entirely unexpected. She noted that officials have found no evidence of widespread bird deaths or any spread of the virus into the poultry industry or broader agricultural sector.
“Our scientists are undertaking further work to establish the potential pathway that resulted in the Australian sea bird’s infection,” Collins said.
She added, “What we do know is that this is a coastal seabird that has been overlapping coastal range with migratory seabirds that have previously tested positive for H5.”
Australia made history in June as the last continent to record a mainland H5N1 case. The virus had previously been detected on Heard Island, a sub-Antarctic Australian territory located roughly 4,100 kilometers — about 2,600 miles — from the Australian mainland, in late 2025.
Asian stock markets surged Friday morning, driven by gains in semiconductor and artificial intelligence companies, even as tit-for-tat military strikes between the United States and Iran continued to threaten oil flows through the vital Strait of Hormuz.
The ongoing back-and-forth attacks have further weakened a fragile ceasefire that was only about three weeks old, once again putting oil prices, inflation concerns, and the global interest rate outlook under the microscope.
Brent crude futures were on pace for a roughly 5% gain for the week — their strongest weekly performance since early May. However, at $76.03 per barrel, Brent has surrendered most of the price increases it accumulated since the conflict broke out at the end of February.
Nick Twidale, chief market strategist at ATFX Global in Sydney, acknowledged the troubling geopolitical picture but noted that investors appear unfazed. “I’m looking at updates from the Middle East and things don’t look good, but investors seem incredibly resilient to those risks at the moment, with tech again driving markets higher,” he said.
Japan’s Nikkei index climbed 1.8%, while South Korea’s KOSPI — considered the heart of the global AI stock rally — jumped 2.4% in early trading. Chip industry heavyweights SK Hynix and Samsung each gained about 3%. Markets in Taiwan were closed for the session.
The MSCI’s broadest measure of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.76%.
Twidale added a note of caution despite the upbeat start: “We will start on the front foot again in Asia, but I’m still very cautious that we are not pricing in enough event risk that the Strait of Hormuz may be closed again in the coming days.”
Throughout the week, investors have largely set aside concerns about the military escalation, choosing instead to focus on the AI investment theme that has pushed global stock markets to record levels — even as questions grow about whether the scorching rally can be sustained.
Overnight in the United States, the tech-dominated Nasdaq closed sharply higher after Micron Technology announced plans to invest more than $250 billion domestically through 2035, giving chip stocks a major boost. The Philadelphia SE Semiconductor index rose 3%.
Much of Friday’s attention will be focused on SK Hynix’s debut on U.S. markets. The South Korean chip maker priced its American Depositary Receipts at $149 on Thursday, raising approximately $26.5 billion — a sign of robust investor demand for exposure to the AI supply chain.
The massive offering, intended to fund new manufacturing facilities and equipment to keep up with soaring AI chip demand, is expected to rank as the world’s second-largest share sale ever, trailing only SpaceX’s record-breaking IPO last month.
Sam Konrad, investment manager for Asia Equity Income at Jupiter Asset Management, said the U.S. listing could result in the ADR trading at a premium over SK Hynix’s locally listed shares, but could also help boost the valuation of the Korean-listed stock. “If SK Hynix re-rates that should help support a re-rating in Samsung Electronics too, especially when they release details of their shareholder return plans,” said Konrad, who holds positions in both South Korean companies.
SK Hynix’s Korean shares have skyrocketed 238% so far this year, pushing the broader KOSPI benchmark to record highs and making it the world’s best-performing major stock market since the beginning of 2025.
Still, the AI frenzy has also produced sharp market swings in recent weeks as investors grow nervous about lofty valuations and question whether the companies can maintain their extraordinary profit growth.
In currency markets, the Japanese yen remained a focal point, hovering near its lowest point in 40 years as traders watched for potential intervention from Japanese authorities. The yen last traded at 162.18 per U.S. dollar, close to the 1986 low of 162.84 it reached last week.
The U.S. dollar was largely flat as investors waited for new signals on the direction of American interest rates. Traders are currently pricing in 34 basis points of rate hikes for the year, though that calculation could shift depending on how much inflationary pressure the ongoing conflict generates.
In commodities, gold was heading for a roughly 1% weekly loss and was last trading at $4,113 per ounce in early Friday trading.
Motorists traveling westbound on US 40 are being advised of a lane restriction currently in effect between Salem Church Road and Becks Woods Road.
The left lane in that stretch has been closed to traffic as construction crews work in the area. Drivers should plan for possible slowdowns and allow extra travel time if passing through that corridor.
The lane closure is scheduled to lift by 6 a.m. Until then, travelers are encouraged to use caution and follow any posted signs or traffic control instructions in the work zone.
RISHON LEZION, Israel — With GPS coordinates marked and an anchor tossed overboard, an orange buoy bobbed to the surface as a team of Israeli divers geared up on the bow of a research vessel. They pulled on wet suits, ran checks on their oxygen tanks, and slipped beneath the Mediterranean waves.
After spending hours searching the seafloor for yellow-painted practice mortar shells, however, the team came up with nothing.
It was the fifth dive in a multi-year research effort designed to help Israel figure out how to safely remove unexploded grenades and other munitions from the sea — and eventually return a stretch of beach to local residents. But that day in June, the dummy shells the team had placed months earlier were nowhere to be found, offering a preview of the enormous challenges that lie ahead.
“It’s really hard to find things in the sea,” said Roy Jaijel, a researcher in the marine geology and geophysics department at Israel’s National Institute of Oceanography, after surfacing from the dive.
Jaijel is co-leading a project focused on reclaiming roughly 2 kilometers, or about 1.2 miles, of shoreline in the central Israeli city of Rishon LeZion — a stretch that has functioned as a military firing range for decades. The initiative is the first of its kind in Israel and aligns with a worldwide effort to better safeguard oceans and seas as global demand grows for their use in shipping, energy production, and recreation.
According to experts, the issue of underwater munitions has drawn increasing attention in part because of the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence, which depends on millions of kilometers of fiber-optic cables running along the ocean floor to keep the world connected.
Munitions end up underwater in a variety of ways — dumped after wars, lost during active conflict, or, as in Rishon LeZion’s case, left behind from years of military training exercises. Over time, seawater erodes the shells, causing toxic chemicals, explosive compounds, and heavy metals to leak out and contaminate the surrounding environment. There is also the danger of an accidental detonation if someone steps on one — or if a child picks one up, mistaking it for a toy.
Two years ago, Europe launched a program to better detect and remove non-military unexploded ordnance from industrial and commercial sites. In a separate effort in 2024, Germany began a pilot program to collect and dispose of military debris in the North and Baltic Seas, where the German government estimates some 1.6 million tonnes of unexploded munitions from two world wars still rest on the seafloor.
Despite these efforts, there has been comparatively little focus on clearing munitions from Middle Eastern waters, including the Mediterranean, which has historically seen fewer large-scale dumping events than European seas.
Project leaders in Israel say their work is among the first to specifically address the challenge of clearing smaller munitions in complex underwater environments — a task that many countries have steered clear of entirely.
“It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack,” said Israel Faintuch, head of the Maritime Division at Israel’s Ministry of Defense National Mine Action Authority, as he checked his oxygen tank and prepared to dive.
The Israeli government says that nearly half of the country’s 194-kilometer, or 120-mile, coastline is closed to the public, taken up by commercial ports, power stations, desalination plants, military installations, and firing zones.
Since Israel’s founding nearly 80 years ago, 7 kilometers — roughly 4.3 miles and nearly the entire length of Rishon LeZion’s shoreline — has been used as a military firing range. Grenades and both small and large mortars have been launched there over the years, leaving hundreds of thousands of residents squeezed onto a narrow band of accessible beach.
The joint research project, which launched last year, is funded by the Rishon LeZion municipality and is being led by Israel’s National Mine Action Authority alongside researchers from the National Institute of Oceanography. The goal is to identify the most heavily affected areas, map where the munitions are concentrated, and determine how far out to sea and how deep the clearance effort will need to go.
To collect data, divers place fake munitions of varying sizes — some fitted with motion sensors — at depths of 5, 10, and 15 meters (16, 33, and 59 feet) and at distances up to 1.2 kilometers, or about 0.75 miles, from shore. After several months, the team retrieves the devices, studies the data, and then deploys a new set.
In June, Associated Press journalists joined the team underwater as divers placed a fresh round of test munitions and attempted to recover ones left behind in January. The divers used a string or measuring tape to navigate along the seafloor, tapping each other and pointing in different directions as they swept their hands across the sandy bottom in search of the hidden objects.
“You have limited air supply when you go with the divers and you have limited time in the water,” said Dafna Eliahu, a graduate student working on the project. “So with actual live munition I expect it to be very difficult, very hard to locate and to actually be able to find them.”
Eliahu noted that while the data from the sensors is still being analyzed, early results suggest the munitions moved less than anticipated — a potentially encouraging sign that the area requiring clearance may be smaller than originally feared.
Israel’s Defense Ministry is aiming to collect enough data to begin actual clearance operations by the end of next year, with an initial goal of opening up 150 meters, or about 492 feet, of shoreline within a few months after that. Completing the full project will take years and is expected to cost tens of millions of dollars. Progress has already been set back by Israel’s multiple military conflicts — including wars with Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Iran — since divers cannot work when missiles are being fired and may land in the sea.
During the current war that the U.S. and Israel launched against Iran, as well as a 12-day conflict last June between Israel and Iran, the military acknowledged that missiles aimed at larger cities including Rishon LeZion fell into the sea, though officials declined to say how many.
Israeli authorities say no one has been killed or injured by unexploded sea ordnance, but roughly a dozen sightings of suspicious devices over the past 20 years have prompted responses from police and military units. Most of those objects were found on or near the shoreline.
Beyond expanding beach access for local residents, Israel also hopes the research will generate new knowledge about munitions clearance in this part of the world, where threats exist but relatively little data has been gathered.
According to the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining, more than half of all global incidents involving unexploded ordnance — including sightings and drifting mines — were recorded in the Middle East between 2014 and 2023. The majority occurred in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen and in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, largely as a result of Yemen’s civil war.
Pedro Basto, research and innovation program manager with the organization, stressed the importance of keeping attention focused on the removal of underwater explosives given how much modern society depends on the seas.
“Both renewable energies based on the sea (wind turbines and harnessing water currents) and the global connectivity that most of the world relies on every minute of every day, depend massively on underwater cable laying,” he said.
As the project moves forward, residents of Rishon LeZion say they are eager for the day when more of their coastline becomes accessible.
Moria Malka, head spokesperson for the city’s municipality, said the clearance effort will triple the amount of available coastline in the area, with much of it set to become a nature reserve as well as residential space near the water. For beachgoers like Mark Kostman, that prospect is welcome news.
“Holidays and Saturdays, all of this place is completely crowded and too dense to even have fun,” Kostman said while playing volleyball with his children near the firing zone. “Having it as public space for leisure and sport … it’s wonderful.”
Travelers along US Route 113 at the intersection of Buccaneer Street are encountering intermittent lane closures as construction work continues in the area.
The lane restrictions are expected to cause periodic delays at the intersection. Drivers are encouraged to use caution when passing through the work zone and to be prepared for changing traffic patterns.
No specific timeline for the completion of the construction work was provided. Motorists should stay alert for flaggers and construction equipment in the area and allow additional time when traveling through this corridor.
The U.S. Department of Justice took legal action against Maryland on Thursday, with the Trump administration arguing that the state’s sanctuary-style policies are standing in the way of its ongoing immigration enforcement push.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland Northern Division. Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche had previously directed the DOJ’s civil division to identify state and local laws, policies, and practices that, in the department’s words, “facilitate violations of federal laws or impede lawful federal operations.”
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown’s office declined to offer any comment on the lawsuit.
This legal action is part of a wider effort by the Republican administration to challenge laws passed by Democratic-led governments that restrict how much local and state agencies cooperate with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE. The Trump administration has labeled these jurisdictions “sanctuary” areas and contends their policies are blocking the president’s mass deportation agenda.
ICE, which operates under the Department of Homeland Security, has been at the center of the administration’s immigration crackdown.
The term “sanctuary” has roots going back to the 1980s, when American churches began sheltering Central American migrants who had escaped civil conflict and were afraid of being deported from the United States.
Civil rights organizations have pushed back against the crackdown, arguing it violates due process and free speech rights and fosters an unsafe climate — particularly for ethnic minorities, who have voiced concerns about racial profiling.
While immigration enforcement has been a cornerstone of Trump’s agenda since his 2024 campaign, the administration has also moved to make legal immigration harder — including by adding costly new fees for applicants seeking certain work visas. Trump has maintained that these actions are intended to strengthen national security and preserve jobs for American citizens.
Oil prices ticked down slightly during early trading on Friday, July 10, but both major benchmarks were still positioned to close out the week with significant gains, driven by continued military exchanges between the United States and Iran.
Brent crude futures dropped 6 cents, or 0.08%, to $76.24 per barrel as of 0125 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude slipped 4 cents, or 0.06%, settling at $72.04 per barrel. Despite those modest daily declines, Brent was on pace for a 6% weekly gain, while WTI was heading toward a 5% weekly increase.
The price gains were largely tied to escalating tensions in the Middle East. Iranian armed forces launched strikes against U.S. military infrastructure located in Gulf states on Thursday, responding to earlier U.S. attacks on Iran’s southern coastal and eastern provinces. The exchange of strikes put further strain on a ceasefire that had only been in place for about three weeks. Separately, Iranian media outlets reported a series of explosions across southern Iran, including in Bushehr, the site of one of the country’s nuclear facilities.
The renewed hostilities occurred on the same day Iran held burial services for its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28 — the first day of the war. His death had been followed by a week of large funeral processions and public rallies across the country.
The ongoing conflict has prevented the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping lane that, before the war began, carried roughly 20% of the world’s daily oil and natural gas supplies.
Daniel Hynes, senior commodity strategist for ANZ bank, offered some perspective on why markets weren’t more rattled. “Despite the U.S. ramping up attacks on military sites in Iran, the market drew some reassurance from the Trump administration’s decision to avoid targeting Iranian energy infrastructure,” he said. “This was aided by comments from President Trump, who said he doesn’t expect a return to a full-scale conflict.”
President Donald Trump had stated on Wednesday that he did not believe the war would reignite, adding that “anything that happens is going to be over very quickly.”
On the economic front, the number of Americans filing new unemployment claims fell last week, a sign that the U.S. labor market continues to operate in what analysts are calling a “slow-hire, slow-fire” environment.
Meanwhile, in China — the world’s second-largest economy — producer price inflation jumped to a four-year high in June, squeezing manufacturers’ profit margins as sluggish domestic demand limited their ability to raise prices. That inflationary pressure raised concerns about weaker energy demand from one of the globe’s top oil consumers.
A massive and powerful storm is bearing down on a remote island chain off Japan’s southwestern coast, with officials warning residents that Typhoon Bavi could be the most destructive storm to hit the area in years.
As of early Friday, Typhoon Bavi was closing in on Japan’s Sakishima Islands — a distant chain of islands situated near Taiwan — packing maximum sustained winds of 162 kilometers per hour, or roughly 100 miles per hour. Residents moved quickly to secure homes and businesses ahead of the storm’s arrival.
Air travel in the region took a major hit, with airlines scrapping dozens of flights — including those scheduled for Saturday.
On the island of Ishigaki, one of the more tourist-friendly destinations in the Sakishima chain, locals rushed to stock up on food and supplies. Shelves of instant noodles at a nearby supermarket were wiped clean. Public beaches, coastal parks, and the local ferry terminal appeared to have shut their doors ahead of the storm.
Hiroshi Nomura, a bicycle rental shop owner, was spotted stretching windproof nets across his storefront as the storm approached. “I heard that this one will be pretty big,” he said. “I’m a little concerned about whether our typhoon preparations are enough.”
Similar windproof nets and taped-up windows were visible at businesses throughout Ishigaki as the community braced for impact.
Across the water in Taiwan, financial markets shut down for the day and large portions of the northern and eastern parts of the island were also given the day off. The Taipei city government opened stations where residents could pick up sandbags to protect their properties.
Forecasters say Bavi is not expected to make direct landfall in Taiwan, but the storm is set to unleash heavy rainfall across the island beginning late Friday before eventually moving toward China’s coastline, where it is expected to weaken.
Taiwan’s airlines have called off all Saturday flights from the country’s primary international airport at Taoyuan, located outside of Taipei.
Philadelphia Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly spoke openly Thursday about his desire to remain in the dugout beyond this season, confirming reports that had emerged a day earlier from ESPN.
Mattingly addressed reporters and left little doubt about where he stands. “I like doing it,” he said. “I didn’t come here to do it, but I actually like doing it. I committed to two years, right? And, in my mind, I told Dave (Dombrowski, Phillies president of baseball operations), ‘I’d go two years.’ Right? So at that point you make a commitment with your family and what’s going on with everything that you’re going to do this for two years. So if that’s something that Dave wanted me to do then I’m fine with it.”
Mattingly originally joined the Phillies organization as bench coach. He had previously managed the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2011 to 2015 and the Miami Marlins from 2016 to 2022 before stepping into the interim role on April 28, when Rob Thomson was let go.
At the time Mattingly took the reins, Philadelphia was sitting 10.5 games out of first place in the National League East. Since then, the team has gone 42-23 under his leadership and trimmed that gap to just three games behind the Braves heading into Thursday.
Mattingly’s playing career was equally distinguished. He spent 14 seasons with the New York Yankees from 1982 to 1995, finishing with a .307 batting average, 222 home runs, and 1,099 RBIs across 1,785 games. He was named the American League’s Most Valuable Player in 1985.
On the managerial side, Mattingly earned National League Manager of the Year honors in 2020 with Miami. His overall regular-season record as a manager stands at 931-973, with a 10-14 mark in the playoffs. He led the Dodgers to the 2013 NLCS and three additional NLDS appearances.
Adding a family dimension to the story, Mattingly’s son Preston has served as the Phillies’ general manager since 2024, working alongside Dombrowski in the front office.
Shares of Fast Retailing, the Japanese company that owns the Uniqlo clothing brand, took a steep dive in Tokyo markets Friday, even after the firm announced an upgraded profit forecast — with investors spooked by a warning over the struggling yen.
The stock dropped as much as 5.1% during early trading in Tokyo. The sell-off came after the company announced Thursday, following the close of markets, that it was raising its full-year operating profit guidance to a record 730 billion yen, which equals approximately $4.50 billion U.S. dollars.
Despite the downward move Friday, Fast Retailing’s shares have performed remarkably well this year, climbing more than 42% in 2026.
Jun Kitazawa, Deputy Manager of the Investment Information Section at Miki Securities, offered some context for the decline. “The share price has risen over roughly the past three months, so a sense of the good news being priced in seems to have emerged, but bargain-hunting buying may eventually come in,” he said.
The company reported solid results for the nine-month period ending in May. However, Fast Retailing Chief Financial Officer Takeshi Okazaki flagged concerns about the Japanese yen, which has been hovering near a 40-year low. He cautioned that the currency’s continued weakness is expected to put pressure on both sales and profits in Japan during the company’s fourth quarter.
Okazaki warned that the yen’s decline “could potentially have a significant impact on our performance.”
At the time of reporting, one U.S. dollar was equal to approximately 162.31 yen.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United States carried out new airstrikes against Iran in the early hours of Thursday, and Iran struck back by targeting American-allied nations across the Middle East — a dangerous exchange that has put a shaky interim ceasefire agreement at serious risk of collapse.
While similar back-and-forth attacks have threatened the ceasefire on previous occasions, Thursday’s round appeared to be the most significant yet. Air raid sirens went off at least three times in Bahrain, which is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters. Missiles were also directed at Kuwait and Qatar. Later that afternoon, sirens sounded in Jordan, where U.S. troops and aircraft are stationed.
An Iranian official alleged that the U.S. launched a strike Thursday targeting the area surrounding Iran’s only nuclear power plant, and additional explosions were reported across the country during the afternoon hours.
In the early hours of Friday, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was buried in his hometown of Mashhad following several days of public mourning. Khamenei was killed during the opening strikes of the Iran conflict.
The latest round of strikes came just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump declared that recent Iranian attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz had effectively ended the fragile ceasefire, and warned of further escalation if the attacks did not stop. Those statements raised fears that the region could slide back into full-scale war involving multiple countries — and potentially choke off energy shipments through the strait, which are vital to the global economy.
U.S. Military Strikes 90 Targets Inside Iran
The U.S. military’s Central Command announced it struck 90 locations throughout Iran, releasing black-and-white video footage appearing to show hits on an airport runway and missile launch sites.
According to the U.S., the strikes were aimed at further weakening Iran’s capacity to threaten shipping in the strait. Before the war began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on February 28, roughly one-fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas passed through that waterway.
Some shipping activity has resumed since a tentative agreement last month included provisions to reopen the strait. Maritime data firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence reported Thursday that early figures showed at least 576 ships passed through the strait in June, up from 233 in May — though still far below the more than 3,100 vessels that transited the strait in June 2025.
Trump Warns Iran: Next Attack Will Bring Worse Consequences
After departing a NATO summit in Turkey, Trump posted multiple videos to his social media platform showing what he described as explosions inside Iran, and issued a fresh warning to the country.
“This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!” Trump wrote Wednesday — one day after three tankers were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump also repeated earlier threats to strike Iranian infrastructure, including electrical and water desalination facilities, and to seize Kharg Island, through which approximately 90% of Iran’s oil exports flow.
Final Deal Talks Expected After Khamenei Funeral
Trump said Wednesday that the interim ceasefire was “over,” though he indicated he would allow negotiations to continue while expressing doubt that negotiators were making productive use of their time, saying he believed they were “wasting their time.”
Talks aimed at reaching a permanent agreement were scheduled to begin following Khamenei’s funeral. Those negotiations are expected to tackle the most difficult issues, including fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz and dismantling Iran’s disputed nuclear program.
Delaware State Police say they are aware of a video spreading across social media that shows a traffic stop and arrest in Dover — and they want the public to know what led up to what was captured on camera.
The incident took place on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, at around 6:05 p.m., when a trooper pulled over a Mercury Grand Marquis near S. Bay Road and Lafferty Lane in Dover. A computer check had flagged the vehicle’s registration as suspended due to an uninsured motorist violation.
The trooper spoke with the driver, identified as 38-year-old Sierra Hopkins of Dover, along with four juvenile passengers in the vehicle. During that conversation, it was discovered that Hopkins’ driver’s license was also suspended — and that she had already been stopped and cited by Delaware State Police just five days earlier for the same violations. Hopkins acknowledged that her insurance had been canceled but said she was in the process of getting it resolved.
Based on their initial exchange, the trooper told Hopkins he would issue her traffic citations but would not have her vehicle towed — even though department policy called for it under the circumstances. A verbal dispute then broke out between Hopkins and the trooper. She was ultimately handed a citation and drove away.
After returning to his patrol vehicle, the trooper reconsidered and determined that, per divisional policy, the car should have been towed after all. He then conducted a second traffic stop, pulling Hopkins over in the left-turn lane on E. Lebanon Road near the entrance to a McDonald’s — the location visible in the social media video.
The trooper informed Hopkins that he had changed his decision and that her vehicle would be towed. He asked her to move the car into the McDonald’s parking lot. Hopkins refused to move the vehicle and also refused orders to step out of the car. The trooper then attempted to physically remove her, but Hopkins grabbed onto the steering wheel to resist. The trooper drew his taser, at which point Hopkins got out of the vehicle on her own.
When Hopkins refused a verbal order to lie on the ground, the trooper used physical force to bring her to the ground in order to take her into custody. Hopkins continued to resist, kicking the trooper and scratching his face with her fingernails. The trooper responded with defensive strikes and stepped back to deploy his taser. Additional troopers arrived and assisted in taking Hopkins into custody.
Hopkins was transported to Troop 3, where she was charged, arraigned by the Justice of the Peace Court, and held at the Delaware Department of Correction on a $10,000 cash bond. She faces the following charges:
Assault Second Degree — Injure a Law Enforcement Officer (Felony)
Resisting Arrest with Force or Violence that Injures or Struggles with a Peace Officer Causing Injury (Felony)
Endangering the Welfare of a Child — 4 counts
Criminal Mischief Under $1,000
Driving While Suspended or Revoked
Failure to Have Required Insurance
Additional license and registration violations
Delaware State Police are asking anyone who directly witnessed the incident or has video footage to contact Lieutenant J. Jones at Troop 3 by calling (302) 698-8449.
Colonel William D. Crotty, Superintendent of the Delaware State Police, addressed the public reaction to the video. “While the trooper was authorized and expected to tow the vehicle, we acknowledge and recognize that the perception of the second stop and the events that occurred after have generated a lot of questions,” he said. “The events surrounding the arrest are being reviewed. Additionally, we are working with members of our Police Accountability Committee to ensure transparency and address any questions that may arise from the community. As we work through this incident, we remind those we serve that the best course of action in situations that you feel are unjust is to comply with lawful orders and follow up with troop supervision or the Office of Professional Responsibility about your concerns. As always, we remain committed to upholding the trust and partnership in the community that we serve.”
Delaware State Police say that, as is standard procedure for any incident involving a response to resistance, an internal review was launched immediately following the arrest and remains ongoing.
TOKYO (AP) — Three times a week, Akiko Sugaya pushes a pink cart through the narrow, winding streets of eastern Tokyo, tooting a small brass bugle and wearing a straw hat as she hawks tofu — the protein-packed soybean staple beloved across much of Asia.
But selling soybean curd in its many forms is only part of what drives her. For Sugaya, this is something far greater than a job. It’s a calling.
Beyond being a purveyor of nutritious food, she functions as an informal community watchdog, keeping an eye on the elderly residents she visits along her route through Tokyo’s Ojima neighborhood — a mostly residential area of modest homes interspersed with stretches of larger apartment buildings.
She knows her customers’ routines the way a family member might, and they know hers. Over the years, she has lost several elderly regulars who passed away alone — a growing reality in Japan, which ranks among the countries with the oldest populations on earth.
“More than once I was the first one to find their bodies,” Sugaya said, speaking from a small shop she also operates on a busy commercial street in the neighborhood.
She explained that access is rarely a barrier in the area. “In an area like this, some people just leave their doors unlocked,” she said. “Or I can get access by asking the landlords.”
In smaller homes along the street, warning signs are easy to spot — newspapers piling up outside or laundry left unattended. Larger apartment complexes, however, make it much harder to notice when something might be wrong.
Sugaya has been making her rounds for 23 years, and the work has given her as much as she’s given her customers. She says she was bullied growing up and lost several jobs before discovering that delivering quality food could feed her own sense of purpose as much as it nourished others.
“Selling tofu on a cart made me think I am OK to be myself,” she said. “I used to be repeatedly put down, but through cart-selling I built up my self-esteem.”
“I was still nervous with women around my age,” she added. “But I felt safe when surrounded by the elderly whose smiles are warm and kind.”
One of her regular visitors is Shinji Saito, who stops by her shop every day. Saito, who has epilepsy, describes Sugaya’s welcoming nature as “magical.”
She also represents a fading tradition. There was a time when vendors routinely walked neighborhood streets offering ramen, sweet potatoes, vegetables, and other goods. That era has largely given way to delivery apps and smartphone orders.
“Delivery of newspapers or tofu, what used to be part of our daily lives, have been replaced by delivery apps or smart phones,” Sugaya said. “One can easily spend a day without having any verbal conversation with others.”
“When you go to a convenience store, you hit a button on a screen and don’t even say hello to anyone. It leaves you empty,” she added.
Her three-hour afternoon walks take her through a labyrinth of streets where sales are sometimes sparse but conversations are plentiful. One customer comes out to buy tofu and ends up chatting about her mischievous cat and a wild vine growing in the garden. Another reminds Sugaya that her kind of work is becoming a lost art.
Regular customer Toshi Niiyama, who calls Sugaya by her nickname “Ako-chan,” said she purposely holds off buying tofu elsewhere just to wait for her arrival. “Even when I’m in need of tofu, I tell myself I’d better wait for Ako-chan,” Niiyama said. “We used to have someone coming to sell vegetables, but he stopped coming.”
Sugaya has no intention of following suit.
“I go this way on Mondays, that way on Saturdays and that way on Thursdays,” she said. “I go even if it’s raining because my customers expect to see me — or just because they want to have a talk.”
A federal appeals court on Thursday gave its stamp of approval to Illinois’ ban on semiautomatic weapons, keeping the controversial law intact after a lower court had previously thrown it out.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit issued a 2-1 ruling finding that the Illinois law is consistent with the Second Amendment. The court wrote that the law’s restrictions align with what it described as “the principles that underpin our Nation’s tradition of firearm regulation.”
“Whether to adopt them is thus a decision reposed in our elected representatives, and we reverse,” the appeals court stated in its ruling.
The majority opinion also took aim at arguments from those challenging the law who claimed semiautomatic weapons are not responsible for mass shootings. The court countered that “the undisputed record evidence undercuts that claim, showing that the presence of assault weapons and large-capacity magazines is strongly correlated with the severity of the societal problem.”
Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker celebrated the ruling on social media, calling it “a victory in the fight to end gun violence that helps keep our communities safe.”
The National Shooting Sports Foundation, the firearms industry trade group that had been fighting to block the ban, expressed disappointment with the outcome and announced it intends to petition the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case.
The organization said it sides with Chief Judge Michael Brennan, who wrote a dissenting opinion arguing that the Constitution prohibits governments from banning “firearms commonly owned for self-defense.” The dissent went on to say that “because the people have overwhelmingly chosen the AR-15 rifle and its magazine as their weapon of choice, they are protected by the Second Amendment.”
The law at the center of the dispute, known as the Protect Illinois Communities Act, was signed in 2023. It bans AR-15 rifles and comparable firearms, large-capacity magazines, and a range of weapon attachments.
The legislation came about six months after a gunman climbed onto a rooftop in Highland Park — a suburb of Chicago — and opened fire on a Fourth of July parade in 2022, killing seven people and wounding more than three dozen others.
The law was met with swift resistance after it passed. Several county sheriffs declared they would not enforce it, calling it unconstitutional, while gun owners and advocacy groups filed lawsuits against it.
In 2024, a federal judge sided with those challengers and struck down the ban, relying on recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions that have taken a strict reading of Second Amendment rights. The ruling was set to go into effect 30 days later, but Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed an appeal the same day, which placed the ruling on hold.
Raoul said Thursday’s decision is a win for public safety. “We have seen the damage that assault weapons and large-capacity magazines can inflict, and these weapons of war have no place in our communities,” he said.
The issue is expected to reach the nation’s highest court regardless. Last month, the Supreme Court announced it would take up the question of whether bans on semiautomatic rifles violate the Second Amendment. This fall, the justices are expected to hear challenges to a similar ban in the Chicago area that predates the statewide law.
Advocates for people with disabilities have spent considerable time worrying about what a transfer of special education oversight away from the Education Department might look like in practice — and those concerns are now becoming harder to dismiss.
The Education Department recently held a private phone call in an attempt to ease the fears of disability rights advocates, but the effort did not appear to succeed in calming those concerns.
The prospect of shifting oversight of special education to another federal agency has alarmed many in the disability rights community, who view the Education Department as the appropriate home for programs that serve students with disabilities.
Despite the outreach effort, advocates came away from the call without the reassurance they were looking for, as the possibility of such a transition continues to grow more concrete.
The Japanese yen remained under heavy pressure Friday, trading close to a 40-year low and heading toward a weekly decline, as traders kept a close watch for any potential move by Japanese officials to prop up the struggling currency.
Overnight, investors appeared to shrug off escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran, with oil prices falling and stock markets climbing. However, the collapse of a fragile ceasefire between the two nations has once again raised concerns about energy prices and global inflation going forward.
“The specter of war still hangs over sentiment,” said Thierry Wizman, global FX and rates strategist at Macquarie Group.
“The question confronting traders is whether Iran is willing to return to large-scale kinetic war with the U.S. and its allies if necessary to strengthen its claim of control over the Strait of Hormuz,” Wizman added.
The U.S. dollar slipped slightly on Friday but was on track to close the week with little overall movement, as fresh safe-haven demand was counterbalanced by fading expectations of a Federal Reserve rate increase.
The dollar was trading at 162.36 yen — not far off a peak reached last week that marked the highest level in four decades — and was set to gain more than 0.5% against the yen for the week.
Currency traders have been watching closely for weeks as the yen has continued to weaken beyond 160 per dollar. A possible shift in how Japanese officials might intervene has made it more difficult to predict when action could come.
Analysts at Goldman Sachs weighed in on the situation, noting: “While intervention risks remain top-of-mind as a tactical consideration, we have argued that without a change in the fundamental macro backdrop — higher-for-longer U.S. yields, low recession risk, and lingering fiscal concerns in Japan — the yen will likely continue to steadily weaken in the months ahead.”
“This helps place the yen as a top funding candidate over longer horizons,” the Goldman Sachs analysts added.
The British pound was hovering near its strongest point against the yen since 2007 during early Asian trading Friday, after reaching a peak of 218.00 yen overnight. The euro was last buying 185.64 yen, up 0.6% on the week.
Japan’s Economy Minister Minoru Kiuchi stated Friday that the government would never reveal in advance its preferences regarding how the Bank of Japan should set interest rates.
Elsewhere in currency markets, the euro edged up 0.02% to $1.1433, while the British pound rose 0.03% to $1.3413 and was on pace for a weekly gain of 0.45%.
The Australian dollar was trading at $0.6939, and the New Zealand dollar climbed 0.08% to $0.5759.
The New Zealand dollar was headed for a weekly gain of more than 0.9%, following a rate hike by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand this week along with signals of further tightening to come.
Westpac is forecasting the Reserve Bank of New Zealand will raise rates by 25 basis points in both September and December, with the cash rate expected to peak at 4% in September 2027.
“The exact timing of the tightening profile is highly uncertain and even the tightening we forecast at the September 2026 meeting should not be regarded as a done deal,” said Kelly Eckhold, Westpac’s chief economist.
Wally Funk, the groundbreaking aviator who spent decades fighting gender barriers in aviation and ultimately soared to space at age 82, has died at her home in Grapevine, Texas — a suburb of Dallas — at the age of 87.
The city of Grapevine announced her passing Thursday in a statement shared on social media, noting she died the evening before. No cause of death was provided.
Funk had been denied a place in NASA’s early astronaut program solely because of her gender, but she made international headlines in July 2021 when billionaire Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos invited her as his honored guest on the very first crewed flight of his company Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket. She was joined by Bezos, his brother Mark, and an 18-year-old Dutch high school graduate who became the youngest person ever to reach space.
When Bezos first announced his crew weeks before liftoff, Funk reflected on the moment in a video posted to Blue Origin’s website. “I didn’t think I’d ever get to go up,” she said.
The suborbital trip lasted about 10 minutes but made history — at 82, Funk became the oldest human being ever to reach outer space, breaking the record previously held by retired Mercury astronaut John Glenn, who was 77 when he flew aboard a NASA space shuttle in 1998 as a sitting U.S. senator.
After the New Shepard capsule touched down safely on the Texas desert floor via parachute, an elated Funk stepped out and told reporters, “I’ve been waiting a long time,” before enthusiastically adding, “I want to go again, fast.”
Her wide smile, royal blue flight suit, and short white hair made her an instant sensation. White House spokesperson Jen Psaki even declared her “America’s new sweetheart.”
Her record as the oldest person in space lasted nearly three months, until actor William Shatner — best known for playing Captain Kirk on the 1960s science fiction television series “Star Trek” — flew on Blue Origin’s second New Shepard mission in October 2021 at age 90. Air Force veteran Ed Dwight later surpassed Shatner’s record, also at age 90, on a Blue Origin flight in 2024. Nevertheless, Funk remains the oldest woman ever to have traveled to space.
Long before her historic spaceflight, Funk had built an extraordinary aviation career. She trained more than 3,000 pilots, logged over 19,000 hours in the air, and shattered one gender barrier after another throughout her life.
Born in 1939, Mary Wallace Funk became the first female flight instructor at a U.S. military base — Fort Sill in Oklahoma — as well as the first female inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration and the first female air safety investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board.
In 1961, she was the youngest of 13 women who successfully completed the same demanding physical and psychological testing required of the seven men chosen for NASA’s original Mercury program, which sent the first Americans to space between 1961 and 1963. Known as the Mercury 13, this group of women outperformed many of their male counterparts — Funk herself scored higher than many of the men on several tests. Despite their achievements, the women were barred from NASA’s astronaut corps because of their gender.
John Glenn, one of the original seven Mercury astronauts and the first American to orbit Earth, had at one point testified before Congress against allowing women into the spaceflight program, according to the Washington Post.
Meanwhile, the Soviet Union — America’s chief rival in the Cold War space race — had embraced women in its program. Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space in 1963. It wasn’t until 1983 that the first American woman, Sally Ride, reached orbit.
Funk was the last surviving member of the Mercury 13, and ultimately the only one among them to make it to space.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump moved Thursday to remove all remaining members of the Election Assistance Commission, the independent federal agency responsible for supporting election officials throughout the United States, according to three people with knowledge of the action.
The four-member, bipartisan commission had three sitting members at the time of the removals. The sole Republican appointee stepped down voluntarily, while the two Democratic appointees were informed of their dismissal through an email sent by the White House Presidential Personnel Office.
The termination email, reviewed by Reuters, read: “On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as Commissioner of the Election Assistance Commission is terminated, effective immediately. Thank you for your service.”
The White House had not responded to requests for comment as of the time of this report.
According to its own website, the Election Assistance Commission functions as a national resource for information on how elections are run. It also accredits laboratories that test voting equipment, certifies voting systems, and oversees the national mail voter registration form created under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.
The firings come as Trump and members of his administration have pushed to overhaul mail-in voting rules and continued to pursue investigations into the results of the 2020 presidential election, which Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes issued a statement Thursday condemning the action. “It is irresponsible and dangerous that this Administration remains dead set on causing chaos for our election officials across this country,” Fontes said. “This move undermines the integrity of nonpartisan election administration.”
The Help America Vote Act, the 2002 legislation that created the commission, does give the president authority to appoint new members. However, it remains unclear what Trump’s next steps will be regarding the future of the commission.
According to a report from Front Office Sports published Thursday, two groups have separated themselves as the leading contenders to purchase the Seattle Seahawks, the current Super Bowl champions.
The first group is led by Aditya Mittal, a current minority owner of the Boston Celtics, and Wyc Grousbeck, a former Celtics governor. The second group is spearheaded by Vinod Khosla, a minor investor in the San Francisco 49ers. Front Office Sports also noted that one of the two bidding groups includes a former Seahawks player, though no additional details were provided.
Should the Khosla family ultimately win the bid, they would be required to divest the minority stake in the 49ers that they picked up last spring. According to Forbes, Vinod Khosla — who founded the venture-capital firm Khosla Ventures — has a personal net worth of roughly $14 billion.
Grousbeck’s individual net worth has not been publicly confirmed, though his family’s net worth is estimated at approximately $2.2 billion by Forbes. Mittal’s personal fortune is similarly not well-documented, but his family’s net worth has been pegged at over $17 billion by Forbes. Mittal serves as CEO of ArcelorMittal, an Indian steel company.
During the $6.1 billion sale of the Celtics to a group led by Bill Chisholm last August, Mittal contributed $1 billion to the deal. Front Office Sports reported at that time that Mittal was set to become the second-largest stakeholder in the Celtics and could potentially serve as their alternate governor in the future.
While it looks like the race has narrowed to these two groups, the door remains open for a surprise late entry. A similar situation unfolded during the 2014 sale of the Los Angeles Clippers, when Steve Ballmer stepped in with a last-minute $2 billion offer that was ultimately accepted.
What is known is that the field of potential buyers has been trimmed following a recent submission deadline. Front Office Sports reported that a status update on the sale process is expected sometime next month.
Canadian billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos and Todd Boehly — who co-owns the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Chelsea FC — are both said to be out of contention. ESPN first reported Apostolopoulos’s potential interest, while Sportico was first to report Khosla’s involvement and the formation of the Mittal-Grousbeck bid.
A spokesperson for the Paul G. Allen Estate, which is overseeing the sale of the team, offered little in the way of detail. “There is no news to share about the sale process,” the representative told Front Office Sports.
Analysts estimate the final sale price for the Seahawks could land somewhere between $8 billion and $10 billion — or potentially even higher. Representatives for Allen & Co., the investment bank managing the sale, declined to comment, as did the NFL and Latham & Watkins, the legal firm advising the Allen Estate. Spokespersons for Mittal, Grousbeck, Khosla, Boehly, and Apostolopoulos did not respond to requests for comment.
A proposed monumental arch championed by President Trump has advanced through another round of review, but a significant legal and planning dispute is on the horizon over whether Washington D.C.’s long-standing height restrictions apply to the structure at all.
The Interior Department has taken the position that federal construction projects are not subject to the District’s height limits — a stance that runs counter to more than a hundred years of accepted practice in the city.
If the panel currently reviewing the arch project agrees with that interpretation, experts say the impact on Washington D.C. could be profound, potentially opening the door to taller federal structures throughout the city going forward.
The debate adds a new layer of controversy to the already high-profile project, which has drawn attention both for its scale and for the broader questions it raises about federal authority over the nation’s capital.
The National Weather Service office in Mount Holly, New Jersey has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch that went into effect at 8:30 PM EDT on July 9 and is set to expire at 10:00 PM EDT the same evening.
Residents in the watch area are urged to stay weather-aware and be prepared to take shelter quickly if conditions deteriorate. A watch means that severe thunderstorms are possible in and around the watch area — keep an eye on the sky and listen for any updated warnings.
TV Delmarva will continue to monitor this situation and provide updates as they become available. If a Severe Thunderstorm Warning is issued for your specific location, move indoors immediately and stay away from windows.
Japan’s producer price index climbed 7.1% in June compared to the same period a year ago, surpassing what market analysts had anticipated and marking an acceleration from the previous month’s revised figure of 6.6%.
Economists had forecast a 6.8% increase, but the actual numbers came in higher, reflecting intensifying inflationary pressure stemming from the energy disruption linked to the ongoing Middle East conflict.
Adding to the strain, Japan’s yen-based import price index jumped 29.7% year-over-year in June — a sharp acceleration from a revised 26.1% gain recorded in May. The data was published Friday by the Bank of Japan.
Australian data center operator NEXTDC announced Friday that it has secured new senior debt facilities worth A$2.3 billion — approximately $1.60 billion in U.S. currency — to help cover the costs of new customer contracts and continued development of its data center facilities.
The newly signed facilities represent an increase of A$500 million over the A$1.8 billion in commitments the company had previously disclosed in May.
NEXTDC described the expanded financing as a reflection of broad financial backing. “The upsize reflects continued strong support from a broad syndicate of domestic and international banks,” the company stated.
Once the deal reaches financial close, NEXTDC’s total available senior debt facilities are expected to grow from A$6.4 billion to A$8.7 billion.
Earlier this year, in April, NEXTDC reported that its pro-forma contracted utilization — meaning the total power capacity formally committed to by customers — surged by roughly 60% to 667 megawatts as of March 31, compared to figures from the end of December.
The company said it expects financial close on the new facilities to take place in mid-July.
Fidji Simo, who held the title of CEO of AGI deployment at OpenAI, announced Thursday that she will be leaving her full-time position at the company behind ChatGPT, transitioning instead to a part-time advisory role following an extended medical leave.
Simo shared the news publicly, explaining that a serious health setback had forced her to take stock of her situation. “Three months ago, I had to go on medical leave after a severe exacerbation of a chronic illness I’ve lived with for seven years. During that time, it became clear that the road to recovery would be much longer and more complex than I had anticipated—and that I needed to focus on it fully,” she wrote in a post on X.
Simo was one of three individuals who joined OpenAI’s board of directors in March 2024, following Sam Altman’s return to his role as CEO of the company.
Altman responded to the news with a heartfelt message of his own on X. “I am really sad about this and very grateful for all Fidji has done for OpenAI, and even grateful for her friendship and who she is as a person,” he wrote.
New York Mets third baseman Mark Vientos is headed to the injured list after suffering a fractured bone in his right hand when he was hit by a pitch during Thursday night’s game against the Kansas City Royals.
The injury occurred in the second inning of a 7-3 Mets home victory. Vientos, 26, was struck by a 92.2 mph sinker thrown by Kansas City pitcher Michael Wacha. He stayed in the game long enough to run the bases on his own but was pulled from his position at third base when the third inning began.
Speaking with reporters following the game, Mets interim manager Andy Green said it remained uncertain whether Vientos would require surgery. If the fractured bone turns out to be the hamate, surgery would likely be necessary, sidelining him for roughly four to six weeks.
“I’m just disappointed for what he’s going through right now,” Green said.
The injury comes during an already difficult season for Vientos. Through 73 games, he is batting just .211 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs, and his time on the field has been shrinking.
After Vientos left the game, Brett Baty shifted from second base to cover third, while A.J. Ewing made his first major league appearance at second base despite having started the game in center field. Tyrone Taylor stepped into the lineup and took over in center field.
According to MLB.com, infielder Ronny Mauricio — who was sent down to Triple-A Syracuse just this past Tuesday — is considered the top candidate to fill Vientos’ spot on the active roster.
Now in his fifth season with New York, Vientos was originally selected by the Mets in the second round of the 2017 draft. Over 386 career games, he holds a .234 batting average with 65 home runs and 192 RBIs. His standout year came in 2024, when he posted a .266 average along with 27 home runs and 71 RBIs across 111 games.
The National Weather Service out of Mount Holly, New Jersey issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning on the evening of July 9, putting residents on alert from 7:52 PM EDT through 8:45 PM EDT.
Those in the affected area are urged to move indoors immediately and stay away from windows during the warning period. Severe thunderstorms can bring dangerous lightning, damaging winds, and large hail.
Residents should avoid using electrical appliances, stay off porches, and keep away from trees and other tall objects until the warning has expired. If driving, pull over to a safe location away from trees and power lines.
TV Delmarva will continue to monitor this storm and provide updates as conditions develop. Stay tuned for the latest information from your local weather team.
Motorists in the area should be aware that Brackenville Road is closed between Old Lancaster Pike and Millcreek Road due to high water.
Authorities have not yet announced when the road is expected to reopen. Drivers are encouraged to plan ahead and use alternate routes until the closure is lifted.
TV Delmarva will continue to monitor this situation and provide updates as they become available.
The National Weather Service office in Mount Holly, New Jersey issued a Flash Flood Warning on July 9, effective from 7:42 PM EDT until 8:30 PM EDT that same evening.
Residents in the affected area are urged to stay alert and avoid travel through flooded roads or low-lying areas that may be prone to rapid water accumulation. Flash floods can develop quickly and pose serious dangers to motorists and pedestrians alike.
If you encounter a flooded roadway, remember: turn around, don’t drown. Even shallow moving water can sweep a vehicle off the road.
Global electric vehicle demand continued its upward trend in June, marking the fourth month in a row of growth, according to new data released Friday by consultancy Benchmark Mineral Intelligence.
Total registrations of battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles reached 2 million units for the month, representing a 7% increase compared to June of last year. For the first half of the year overall, volumes were up 2%.
Europe was the standout performer, with EV registrations jumping 31% to approximately 530,000 units — a record high for the month of June. Benchmark Mineral Intelligence identified Europe as the primary driver of global EV growth.
Meanwhile, sales weakened in two of the world’s other major markets. In China, registrations dropped 11% to around 1 million vehicles. North America saw an even steeper decline, with registrations falling 13% following the elimination of U.S. electric vehicle tax credits.
Despite softer demand at home, Chinese automakers have continued to expand their presence in international markets.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is standing behind his decision to visit Saudi Arabia, pushing back against critics and arguing that condemning nations from a distance accomplishes little. Speaking Thursday from the Saudi city of Jeddah, Carney called out-of-country lecturing “an ineffective strategy” — one that may feel good but produces no real results.
The trip marks the first time a Canadian head of government has traveled to Saudi Arabia in 26 years. While there, Carney sat down with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who holds the real power in the kingdom.
The visit comes as Carney works to broaden Canada’s economic relationships beyond its heavy dependence on the United States, looking for new trade partners and investment sources as U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs and threats to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement put pressure on the existing arrangement.
“Lecturing countries from afar is an ineffective strategy,” Carney told reporters in Jeddah. “It’s satisfying, but it’s ineffective.” He was careful to add that direct engagement “doesn’t mean that we agree with everything that a country is doing.”
Saudi Arabia’s human rights record has been under an international microscope since the 2018 murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. A U.S. intelligence assessment determined that Crown Prince Mohammed likely gave the green light for the operation — something Saudi Arabia continues to deny.
Carney also told reporters in Jeddah that the global landscape is growing more unstable and fragmented, making it essential for Canada to build stronger ties with partners outside the United States, its biggest trading partner.
The approach stands in sharp contrast to that of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose government openly criticized Saudi Arabia’s human rights practices in 2018. That public rebuke triggered a five-year diplomatic falling-out, during which Riyadh expelled Canada’s ambassador, froze new trade and investment deals, and pulled thousands of Saudi students from Canadian schools. The two countries didn’t fully restore diplomatic relations until 2023.
Carney insisted he takes human rights seriously, pointing to a consular case he raised personally with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey’s capital, earlier this week. “Because I was with the president, it was addressed favorably. If I sat in Ottawa … I wouldn’t have had that conversation. I wouldn’t have had that impact. That’s a small example,” he said.
Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, who traveled with Carney to Saudi Arabia, said she also brought up human rights concerns and consular cases in her own meetings.
Saudi Arabia, for its part, has been eager to draw in foreign investment as Crown Prince Mohammed pushes an ambitious plan to shift the kingdom’s economy away from its reliance on oil. Saudi Investment Minister Fahad Al-Saif described Canada as “a trusted long-term partner” and said Saudi investors bring “patient capital” to the table.
On Thursday, Carney took part in a signing ceremony for 13 commercial deals and memorandums of understanding between Canadian and Saudi companies and institutions — including engineering firms Hatch and AtkinsRéalis. The prime minister’s office said those agreements are valued at more than 1 billion Canadian dollars, or roughly $710 million U.S.
Nelson Wiseman, a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, offered perspective on Carney’s approach. “Carney says he is taking the world as it is,” Wiseman said. “It doesn’t mean looking beyond human rights; it means being realistic about what preaching about it to authoritarian leaders can accomplish.”
Carney is scheduled to return to Canada on Friday.
The federal agents involved in a deadly ICE shooting in Houston were not equipped with body cameras at the time of the incident, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed Thursday.
An ICE officer fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican homebuilder, during an attempted vehicle stop early Tuesday morning in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood in Houston. Salgado Araujo had been driving a work van when agents tried to pull him over.
In a separate development, the Harris County District Attorney’s office announced it is opening an investigation into the shooting. A spokesperson for the office, Rafael Lemaitre, said prosecutors are consulting with counterparts in Minneapolis, where federal agents previously fatally shot two U.S. citizens, to learn how to handle investigations involving federal immigration officers.
“Although access to key evidence remains under federal control, we are pursuing investigative avenues available to us and will conduct a review of any information we collect within our reach,” Lemaitre said in a written statement.
DHS, which oversees ICE, said the agents had not yet been issued body cameras, attributing the delay to Democratic opposition during a record-length government shutdown tied to President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement push. The department said those agents are expected to receive body cameras within the next 60 days.
According to DHS, agents had been watching a property where they had previously spotted two white vans as part of a targeted operation to detain someone in the country without legal status. “On July 7, officers were almost at the target’s address when they observed a white van with an individual who resembled the target. Officers then initiated the vehicle stop,” the department said.
DHS has maintained that Salgado Araujo rammed an ICE vehicle and that an agent fired in self-defense. However, Salgado Araujo’s family has disputed that account and is demanding the agency release all available evidence. The family says he had no criminal record and was on the verge of receiving a work permit after living in the United States for more than 35 years without legal status.
Three men, including Salgado Araujo’s brother, were detained by ICE during the traffic stop, according to Juan Proaño, CEO of the League of United Latin American Citizens, who has been in contact with the families involved.
Proaño told The Associated Press that LULAC has not been able to obtain clear video footage showing what happened during the shooting and has offered a $5,000 reward for witness information. He said security camera footage the organization has reviewed was partially blocked by the positions of Salgado Araujo’s van and ICE vehicles. “It’s going to make it even more difficult to find the truth in all this,” he said.
The family of Salgado Araujo, along with Democratic lawmakers, is calling for an independent investigation into the shooting. In the wake of the fatal Minneapolis shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, Democrats had refused to approve funding for ICE and the Border Patrol without accountability reforms. Republicans in Congress ultimately passed legislation providing three years of funding solely for ICE and Customs and Border Protection.
Marine Corps veteran Victor Marx has claimed victory in the Republican primary race for Colorado governor, emerging as the GOP’s nominee after a tight contest that took days to resolve.
Marx edged out state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, who was considered his toughest challenger in the June 30 election. The race was too close to call on election night due to a large number of outstanding ballots, but most counties — including the state’s largest — have since reported their final tallies.
A third contender, state Rep. Scott Bottoms, finished behind both Marx and Kirkmeyer in the final results.
Marx is set to take on Democrat Phil Weiser, who currently serves as the state attorney general, in the November general election.
Republicans face an uphill battle in Colorado, where no GOP candidate has won the governorship in more than 20 years. The state also voted for Democrat Kamala Harris over Donald Trump by more than 10 percentage points in the 2024 presidential race.
Marx is considered an unconventional candidate with a colorful and controversial background. Among the bold claims he has made about his life is that his abusive stepfather forced him, at just 7 years old, to kill a man.
On the fundraising front, Marx led the entire Republican field, bringing in roughly $2.8 million in contributions and entering the final 20-day stretch of the campaign with around $200,000 cash on hand. Those figures more than doubled the combined fundraising totals of both Kirkmeyer and Bottoms.
Current Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, cannot seek another term due to term limits.
NEW YORK — The former chief financial officer of The Epoch Times, a conservative multinational media company, made a last-minute decision Thursday to plead guilty to a conspiracy charge just as jury selection was getting underway in his money laundering trial.
Weidong “Bill” Guan, 63, of Secaucus, New Jersey, entered his guilty plea in Manhattan federal court. He admitted to taking part in what prosecutors described as a scheme to funnel fraudulently obtained unemployment benefits and other money through the New York-based media outlet’s bank accounts and affiliated entities — totaling approximately $67 million.
The conspiracy charge involving illegal financial transactions carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years. Judge Victor Marrero did not immediately schedule a sentencing date. Guan was allowed to remain free on bail.
During the court proceedings, Guan acknowledged that he recognized there was “a high probability” that funds flowing through accounts he managed “were the proceeds of criminality.”
He went on to say that even with those suspicions, he “chose to accept” the explanations he received and “did not look deeper to verify my concerns.”
Addressing the judge directly, Guan said, “This was a tremendous lapse in judgment. It was wrong and I am very sorry for my actions.”
When the judge asked whether Guan knew his actions were wrong and illegal, Guan confirmed that he did. The exchange took a notable turn when the judge asked if he was pleading guilty and Guan replied, “I feel like I’m guilty.” Judge Marrero clarified that the question was not about feelings, but about guilt. Guan then stated plainly, “I’m guilty.”
Court documents reveal that members of the company’s “Make Money Online” team, which Guan oversaw, used cryptocurrency beginning in 2020 to “knowingly purchase tens of millions of dollars in crime proceeds.” That included money from fraudulently obtained unemployment benefits that had been loaded onto prepaid debit cards.
Prosecutors said stolen personal information was used to open accounts as part of the laundering operation. The funds were then moved through additional bank accounts held by the company, as well as through Guan’s personal bank and cryptocurrency accounts.
Authorities were clear that the charges have no connection to the media company’s journalism or news reporting activities.
Had the case gone to trial, prosecutors said testimony would have come from current and former employees of the company, along with cryptocurrency records and hundreds of emails and text messages. Some of those messages allegedly showed Guan providing misleading information to banks about the nature of the money moving through various accounts.
Federal prosecutors noted that the media company’s revenues surged roughly 410% once the laundering scheme began — climbing from approximately $15 million to around $62 million. Guan allegedly told banks that the spike in transactions was due to an increase in legitimate donations.
The Epoch Times has stated it will fully cooperate with prosecutors. The outlet has shifted toward a politically conservative editorial direction over the years and has been a supporter of President Donald Trump.
Following Guan’s arrest, the company released a statement saying, “The Epoch Times has a guiding principle that elevates integrity in its dealings above everything else.”
FC Dallas landed goalkeeper Daniel from the San Jose Earthquakes on Thursday, sending up to $1 million in General Allocation Money (GAM) to the Bay Area club in return.
Daniel, 32, joined San Jose in 2023 after playing for SC Internacional in Brazil’s top flight. Over four seasons with the Earthquakes, he appeared in 77 of a possible 78 matches, recording 14 shutouts and 276 saves while conceding 117 goals — good for a save percentage of roughly 70.2%.
In his first MLS season in 2023, Daniel ranked second in the league with 3.88 saves per 90 minutes. His momentum was interrupted the following year when he underwent hamstring surgery, limiting him to just 12 appearances.
Originally from Barra do Garcas, Brazil, Daniel made 83 career appearances for Internacional between 2017 and 2022 before making the move to Major League Soccer.
Under the terms of the deal, San Jose will receive a guaranteed $700,000 in GAM spread over the next two years — $300,000 in 2026 and $400,000 in 2027 — along with an additional $300,000 in GAM if certain performance incentives are met.
FC Dallas currently has 25-year-old Plano, Texas native Michael Collodi serving as their starting goalkeeper in 2026, with Collodi posting three clean sheets across 13 appearances this season.
San Jose wasted little time addressing the vacancy, announcing Wednesday the signing of Scottish international goalkeeper Angus Gunn, who started all three of Scotland’s matches at the 2026 World Cup.
BRASILIA — Brazil’s Federal Police moved against communications executive Thiago Miranda on Thursday as part of the ongoing investigation into the collapsed Banco Master bank, according to a court ruling made public that day.
Miranda had been brought on by banker Daniel Vorcaro to lead a public relations campaign defending the now-shuttered financial institution. The operation marks the latest development in a scandal that has been steadily expanding since Banco Master was shut down by Brazil’s central bank last year following a liquidity crisis.
Vorcaro was taken into custody back in March, and his case has since revealed what authorities describe as a broad network of influence that has shaken public confidence in government officials.
A ruling from Supreme Court Justice Andre Mendonca outlined the basis for Thursday’s action, which included allegations that Miranda’s activities involved attacks targeting the central bank and the creation of a dossier on Milton Maluhy Filho, the chief executive of lender Itau Unibanco.
Justice Mendonca authorized law enforcement to seize electronic devices — including computers and mobile phones — along with documents, financial records, cash, and other materials found at multiple locations connected to Miranda.
According to the court ruling, evidence gathered by officials suggests Miranda arranged for social media influencers to publicly support Banco Master while criticizing the central bank. Investigators also believe he may have played a role in efforts to intimidate members of the press and conduct unlawful surveillance of certain individuals.
Miranda, who owns a communications firm, had previously been considered only a witness in the Banco Master investigation. He had cooperated with authorities, sharing details about Vorcaro’s earlier efforts to defend the bank publicly.
However, a review of messages exchanged between Miranda and Vorcaro led investigators to conclude that Miranda had taken an active role in collecting information about some of Vorcaro’s targets — including the Itau CEO and a well-known journalist.
Reuters was unable to reach Miranda for comment, and no legal representatives could be identified or contacted on his behalf. Itau Unibanco declined to offer any statement on the matter.
The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to take up a vote next week on legislation that would permanently establish daylight saving time, according to a notice released Thursday.
The bill, called the Sunshine Protection Act, cleared the House Energy and Commerce Committee in May by an overwhelming 48-1 margin. A similar version of the legislation passed the U.S. Senate without opposition back in March 2022, but the House failed to act on it at that time due to pushback from opponents. The version the House will now consider includes a provision that would allow individual states to choose not to participate.
Daylight saving time — the practice of moving clocks forward one hour during the warmer months of the year — has been observed in nearly all parts of the United States since the 1960s.
Those in favor of the bill argue that the current system of switching clocks twice a year leads to disrupted sleep, higher rates of workplace injuries, and an increase in traffic accidents. Supporters also contend that having lighter evenings in the winter months would encourage more spending and economic activity.
President Donald Trump has voiced his support for ending the biannual clock change. In May, he stated it was “time that people can stop worrying about the ‘Clock,’ not to mention all of the work and money that is spent on this ridiculous, twice yearly production.”
Should the bill clear the House, it would then head back to the Senate, where it faces opposition from Senator Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, among others. Cotton has argued that making daylight saving time permanent would result in extremely late winter sunrises, leaving children across much of the country heading to school before the sun comes up.
Representative Vern Buchanan, a Florida Republican, has introduced this legislation repeatedly since 2018 and brought it forward again this year. The measure is especially popular in his home state, where extended evening daylight would mean more hours for activities like golf and outdoor sports.
Representative Frank Pallone, a New Jersey Democrat, voiced his support, saying permanent daylight saving time is “better for safety and will boost New Jersey’s tourism industry. Let’s stop changing the clocks twice a year.”
The United States has tried year-round daylight saving time before — once during World War Two and again in 1974 as a way to conserve energy. However, the 1974 experiment was widely unpopular, and Congress reversed course before the year was out.
Minnesota Twins left-handed reliever Anthony Banda will not pitch again this season after undergoing surgery on his lat muscle Thursday, according to The Athletic.
Banda, 32, landed on the 15-day injured list on June 29 with a left lat strain. He said he anticipates being ready in time for spring training next year. Once Minnesota needs to clear a roster spot, he will be moved to the 60-day injured list.
Before going down with the injury, Banda had put together a solid 2024 campaign, finishing 2-0 with a 4.46 ERA over 34 1/3 innings across 39 appearances. He had been particularly sharp in the weeks before getting hurt, recording a 1.93 ERA in 9 1/3 innings over 11 outings in June.
Over the course of his career, Banda owns a 17-9 record with a 4.44 ERA across 248 appearances, including nine starts, spread across nine different teams.
The loss of Banda is a significant blow to Minnesota’s relief corps, which carried a 5.24 ERA heading into Thursday’s games — tied with the Kansas City Royals for the highest mark in the majors.
The Twins picked up Banda in February after the Los Angeles Dodgers designated him for assignment. Minnesota retains the option to bring him back through the arbitration process for the 2027 season.
FOXBOROUGH, MA — France captain Kylian Mbappe put a missed penalty behind him in spectacular fashion Wednesday, curling a beautiful shot into the net at the 60-minute mark as France dominated Morocco 2-0 to punch their ticket to the World Cup semi-finals.
The 27-year-old Mbappe, who became the youngest player ever to make 20 World Cup appearances, also notched his 20th career World Cup goal with that curling strike from just inside the penalty area. Ousmane Dembele then added a second goal six minutes later with a low, hard shot, setting up a semi-final showdown against either Belgium or Spain.
Mbappe now sits tied atop the tournament’s scoring chart with eight goals, matching Lionel Messi. He trails the Argentine by just one goal on the all-time World Cup scoring list.
France coach Didier Deschamps reflected on the team’s third consecutive semi-final appearance. “That’s three in a row — it’s good,” he said. “It seems logical and natural, but you still have to get the job done. It was tricky, the penalty… when it’s Kylian. He never has any doubts.”
Deschamps, who pulled Mbappe from the game late after the star took a knock to his ankle, added: “But we’re exactly where we wanted to be. We’re taking another step forward today, finding ourselves in the final four once again. It shows we’re right there in the mix.”
The match was a rematch of the 2022 World Cup semi-final between the two nations. France kept clean sheets in all three of their knockout-round games, while Morocco — seeking a second straight semi-final appearance — was hampered by the absence of injured forward Ismael Saibari. The Moroccan side failed to register a single shot on target until the 84th minute.
Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi acknowledged France’s superiority. “We are very disappointed, we wanted to advance,” he said. “We have to recognise that France is a great team with excellent players. France had the better scoring opportunities. We lacked ideas and freshness, and we have to accept this defeat.”
Ouahbi remained hopeful for the future, saying: “Today France were stronger but we are able to compete and progress and maybe eliminate them in four years’ time.” Morocco is set to co-host the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal.
Mbappe also tied the all-time French record for World Cup appearances, previously held by Hugo Lloris. His evening nearly got off to a strong start when an early low drive forced Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou into a diving save to tip the ball wide.
France earned a penalty in the 28th minute, but Bounou stood firm, guessed correctly, and smothered Mbappe’s low attempt. It marked the first penalty miss of Mbappe’s international career since Euro 2020.
France continued to press in the first half, with Lucas Digne rattling the crossbar with a powerful long-range shot in stoppage time. Morocco, playing with a defensive mindset and only Brahim Diaz up front, failed to produce a single attempt — on or off target — during the entire opening 45 minutes.
Mbappe made up for the miss at the hour mark, taking a quick look and delivering a superb finish. Before Morocco could regroup, Dembele made it 2-0, capitalizing on space created by Mbappe’s run to drive home his fifth goal of the tournament. Dembele forms a dangerous attacking trio with Mbappe and Michael Olise.
“A mission? I don’t know but we can’t afford to let up,” Mbappe said after the match. “There’s still a long way to go, and what lies ahead is even tougher, but we’ll recover well.”
Millcreek Road is closed at Graves Road due to high water, according to a traffic incident report.
Motorists are urged to avoid the area and use alternate routes until conditions improve and the roadway is reopened. No timeline for reopening has been announced at this time.
CHICAGO (AP) — Munetaka Murakami is expected to be back in the Chicago White Sox lineup Friday evening, ending his stint on the injured list due to a strained right hamstring.
The 26-year-old completed two rehabilitation appearances with Triple-A Charlotte, collecting two hits in seven at-bats, including a double. After Chicago dropped a 2-1 decision to Boston on Thursday, White Sox manager Will Venable confirmed that Murakami would be penciled into the starting lineup for the first game of the team’s weekend series against the Athletics.
“He’s ready to go,” Venable said. “He was challenged running the bases, defensively, had a really long game yesterday. So feel good about the workload, recovered well today so he’s ready to go.”
Murakami originally suffered the injury on May 29 during a 4-3 win over the Detroit Tigers, clutching his right hamstring after hustling to beat a throw to first base on a fielder’s choice in the third inning. Before going down, the Japanese rookie had put up impressive numbers, ranking among the major league leaders with 20 home runs, 41 RBIs, 43 runs scored, and a .947 OPS.
The timing of Murakami’s return is significant, as Chicago (47-45) finds itself in a near-deadlock with Cleveland (48-46) atop the AL Central standings. However, the White Sox have been struggling, dropping three straight and six of their past eight contests. During their just-completed three-game series with Boston, they mustered only two runs and 15 total hits.
White Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi made clear just how important Murakami’s comeback is for the club.
“Obviously, he’s a presence in the lineup,” Benintendi said. “He’ll bring the energy, I think. It seems like the vibe in here is kind of down right now but I’m sure seeing him tomorrow will spark it back up.”
Murakami signed a two-year, $34 million deal with Chicago back in December. During the stretch he spent on the injured list, the White Sox went 17-18.
“We understand the impact he makes on the field and in the clubhouse so to activate him is going to mean a lot for our group,” Venable added. “Really excited about him.”
A man facing charges in the shooting deaths of a National Guard soldier near the White House has been rushed to a hospital after refusing to eat while awaiting trial, federal prosecutors disclosed in a court filing Thursday.
Justice Department prosecutors said they learned Thursday morning that Rahmanullah Lakanwal had been transported to a hospital overnight to receive care for a condition that could threaten his life. The U.S. Marshals Service had already warned prosecutors last month that Lakanwal faced serious health risks — including the possibility of death — because he had gone without adequate food for an extended period of time.
The court filing did not explain the specific reasons behind Lakanwal’s refusal to eat. However, prosecutors pointed out that courts have previously upheld the authority of prison officials to force-feed inmates who are on hunger strikes in order to keep them alive.
The federal judge overseeing the case called an emergency hearing to address the defendant’s medical situation while he remains in federal custody. At the close of that hearing, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta directed prosecutors to draft a proposed court order that would allow them to obtain Lakanwal’s recent medical records.
Defense attorney Shelli Peterson and a spokesperson for U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office both declined to speak with reporters following the hearing.
Lakanwal, a citizen of Afghanistan, has entered a not guilty plea to charges that include first-degree murder in connection with a November 2025 shooting that claimed the life of West Virginia National Guard Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, who was 20 years old, and left Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, critically injured.
Both Beckstrom and Wolfe had been deployed from West Virginia to Washington, D.C., as part of an expanded federal law enforcement presence in the nation’s capital ordered by President Donald Trump that began last summer.
Lakanwal is accused of traveling from Bellingham, Washington, to the nation’s capital while carrying a stolen firearm, then ambushing the two Guard members outside a subway station just three blocks from the White House. According to a police report, another National Guard member witnessed the attack — watching Beckstrom and Wolfe fall to the ground as Lakanwal fired his weapon and shouted, “Allahu Akbar!”
Lakanwal himself was shot during the confrontation. He appeared at his first court hearing in December via video from a hospital bed. No trial date has been set in the case.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Eight men now face federal murder and terrorism conspiracy charges after a grand jury in Ohio indicted them Thursday for their alleged involvement in a foiled plot to attack a UFC cage-fighting event held at the White House back in June.
The indictment lays out two separate conspiracies: one involving the alleged provision of material support to terrorists, and another involving plans to commit murder on federal government property and to kill a federal government official.
Court records do not make clear how close the alleged attackers may have come to actually carrying out the plan before it was stopped by law enforcement.
According to the indictment, the plot began taking shape in May, when members of the group started gathering money, firearms, ammunition, body armor, explosives, drones, medical supplies, communications gear, and other materials.
Authorities first became aware of a potential threat to President Donald Trump’s UFC event on June 10 — four days before the mixed martial arts show, known as Freedom 250, was set to take place.
Last month, the Justice Department announced a series of criminal complaints filed in several districts across the country in connection with the alleged plot, including cases originating in Ohio, Missouri, Washington, Nebraska, and California. Thursday’s indictment is an effort to consolidate those cases into a single conspiracy prosecution in Ohio.
Officials have said the individuals involved held fringe conspiracy theories and believed the attack would destabilize the U.S. government.
One defendant told investigators the group intended to fly drones loaded with explosives into the event and then open fire on crowd members as they fled in panic, according to a federal affidavit.
Tycen C. Proper, 19, of Danville, Ohio, along with four others, was arrested and charged in Missouri, Nebraska, and California during the same weekend as the UFC event. Two additional defendants were arrested about a week later by the FBI in Washington and Missouri.
The Justice Department announced this week that an eighth suspect has been charged: 21-year-old Chandler D. Scaggs of Chapmanville, West Virginia, who was taken into custody in that state. Scaggs is alleged to have been designated as one of the snipers in the planned attack, according to an affidavit.
That same affidavit states that Scaggs was reportedly supposed to be picked up by Proper and transported to Washington, but lost contact after Proper was arrested. Scaggs allegedly signaled to other members of the group that he was still willing to go through with the attack and made arrangements to travel to the event with another co-conspirator.
Federal prosecutors allege the group planned to murder President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, other federal officials, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, businessman Elon Musk, and what they described as “other high value targets” at the event.
A conviction on charges of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. Conspiring to commit murder can result in a sentence of up to life in prison.
France proved too strong for Morocco on Thursday, defeating the North African side 2-0 in a World Cup quarterfinal matchup held in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Forward Kylian Mbappe got France on the board, celebrating after putting his team’s first goal past the Moroccan goalkeeper. Morocco was unable to find a way back into the match, falling 2-0 by the final whistle.
France, widely regarded as one of the pre-tournament favorites, now advances to the World Cup semifinals. Their next opponent will be either Spain or Belgium, depending on the outcome of the other quarterfinal contest.
North Korea has announced a series of steps aimed at boosting its nuclear capabilities both in size and sophistication, according to a report Friday from the country’s state-run news agency, KCNA.
The decisions were made during an expanded session of the Workers’ Party’s Central Military Commission on Thursday. During the meeting, leader Kim Jong Un pushed for a broad modernization of the country’s armed forces.
Kim stated that the nation’s security and what he described as “true peace” can only be achieved by developing a military strong enough to counter any threat it faces, KCNA reported.
The commission laid out a set of goals that include overhauling the technical infrastructure supporting combat systems, growing and reinforcing nuclear forces, and bringing military installations up to modern, standardized standards, according to the report.
Officials at the meeting also took up the question of broadening the responsibilities of the Reconnaissance General Bureau, the country’s military intelligence arm, with the goal of sharpening its ability to gather information and conduct surveillance.
Additionally, KCNA reported that the session covered plans to build new, modern naval facilities and boost the capacity of shipyards — moves the agency said reflect a significant shift in the importance and mission of North Korea’s navy.
CCC Intelligent Solutions, a Chicago-based technology company, is looking into selling the business, according to three individuals with knowledge of the situation.
The company, which develops software and artificial intelligence tools for managing automotive insurance and repair workflows, has enlisted investment bank Morgan Stanley to oversee the potential sale. Outreach has already begun to prospective buyers, including private equity firms, the sources indicated.
Neither CCC nor Morgan Stanley offered a response to requests for comment.
CCC’s platform is used by auto insurers, collision repair shops, vehicle manufacturers, and parts suppliers to handle accident claims, repair management, and related business processes. According to the company, its system connects more than 35,000 businesses within the property-and-casualty insurance industry.
The company’s market value has taken a significant hit over the past year, falling from approximately $6.4 billion to around $3.3 billion. Investors have expressed concern over slowing revenue growth, reduced claims volumes across the industry, and slower-than-anticipated uptake of some of CCC’s newer software offerings. The company’s stock has lost roughly 44% of its value over the last 12 months.
This is not the first time CCC has considered a sale. Back in 2022, Reuters reported that the company was weighing strategic options — including a possible sale — after drawing interest from potential acquirers, though no deal ultimately came together.
Motorists traveling on Interstate 495 in both the northbound and southbound directions should be aware of an ongoing trash removal operation taking place along the highway.
Crews are working in the shoulder and the median between the Newport and Edgemoor areas. The operation is active in both directions of travel.
The work is expected to be completed by 3 p.m. Drivers are encouraged to stay alert and use caution when passing through the area.
The National Weather Service office in Mount Holly, New Jersey has issued a Flash Flood Warning that went into effect at 5:29 PM EDT on Wednesday, July 9, and remains active until 8:30 PM EDT that same evening.
Residents in areas covered by this warning are urged to take the alert seriously and stay clear of flood-prone locations. Flash flooding can develop rapidly and pose serious dangers to life and property.
Authorities remind the public never to attempt driving through flooded roads. Even shallow moving water can sweep vehicles off roadways. The phrase “Turn Around, Don’t Drown” remains the standard safety guidance during flash flood events.
Stay tuned to TV Delmarva and local weather updates for the latest information as conditions develop throughout the evening.
