Former Kentucky center Tionna Herron returning ‘home’ by transferring to play for Texas

Reuters
India digital currency transactions slump after reaching initial central bank target, sources say
Usage of India's digital currency, the e-rupee, has slumped to just a tenth of the peak hit in December, four sources said, reflecting the struggles several countries have experienced in trying to generate public support for digital currencies. The Reserve Bank of India started a pilot for the e-rupee, devised as a digital alternative to physical cash, in December 2022, and successfully reached a target of 1 million retail transactions per day by December 2023. The achievement came only after banks were asked to push up transactions by offering incentives to retail users and disbursing a portion of bank employees' salaries using the e-rupee.
Associated Press
Hong Kong court edges closer to sentencing democracy activists involved in unofficial primary
A Hong Kong court began mitigation hearings for prominent pro-democracy activists who were convicted under a national security law and now face up to life in prison. The activists were among 47 democracy advocates who were charged with conspiracy to commit subversion in 2021 for their involvement in an unofficial primary, in the biggest case brought under the Beijing-imposed national security law. Forty-five of the defendants either pled guilty or were convicted by a three-judge panel whose membership was approved by the government.
AFP
World not ready for climate change-fuelled wildfires: experts
The world is unprepared for the increasing ferocity of wildfires turbocharged by climate change, scientists say, as blazes from North America to Europe greet the northern hemisphere summer in the hottest year on record.Climate change is a major driver, though other factors such as land use and the location of housing developments play a big part.
AFP
Ghana's cocoa farmers turn to smuggling as currency falls
Ghanaian cocoa farmer Isaac Antwi says he has to smuggle his beans to Ivory Coast to sell them at a decent profit even as international prices for the commodity recently surged."A bag of cocoa sells for at least $137 in Ghana, but when we smuggle it to Ivory Coast, we can get close to $152," he said.
Associated Press
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange stops in Bangkok on his way to a US court and later freedom
A plane believed to be carrying WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has landed in Bangkok on Tuesday, as he is on the way to enter a plea deal with the U.S. government that will free him and resolve the legal case that spanned years and continents over the publication of a trove of classified documents. The chartered plane VJT199 landed after noon at Don Mueang International Airport, north of the Thai capital. It is unclear if the plane is only refueling or how Assange will continue traveling to the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth in the Western Pacific, where he will appear in court Wednesday morning Saipan time.
AFP
'Urgent' for Australia to protect Great Barrier Reef: UNESCO
Australia must take "urgent" action to protect the Great Barrier Reef, including setting more ambitious climate targets, the UN's cultural organisation has warned."UNESCO has asked Australia to set more ambitious climate targets, and given us a February 2025 deadline to submit a progress report -- the clock is ticking," said Greenpeace Australia Pacific CEO David Ritter.
AFP
Sunbed wars: Greece tries to rein in beach chaos
The waves of the Aegean Sea lap gently at the tables and chairs of two beach restaurants on Greece's Halkidiki peninsula. But after a wave of protests last summer by locals about bars and restaurants illegally covering beaches with sunbeds and tables, the Greek state is taking action.
Associated Press
Parliament speaker. The Tehran mayor. A heart surgeon. The race is on for Iran's next president
Six candidates have been approved by Iran's theocracy to run in Friday’s presidential election to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash with several other officials in May. A little-known politician and heart surgeon is also on the ballot. Meanwhile, authorities are not urging the public to vote as vocally as they have in the past, particularly after a parliamentary election earlier in the year that saw the lowest turnout since the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution.
AFP
Who profits from the soaring price of cocoa?
Though cocoa prices on the financial markets have soared, the rise is benefiting cocoa growers, bean processors, speculators and chocolatiers in unequal measure.There, farmers have been allowed to sell their beans to buyers willing to approach the prices paid on the financial markets.
Reuters
Factbox-Who in Iran seeks the presidency after Raisi's death?
Only six candidates from over 80 hopefuls survived screening by the hardline Guardian Council, a panel of clerics and jurists which is overseen by the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say in all matters of state. The president, who runs the government day-to-day and has a particular responsibility for Iran's struggling economy, ultimately answers to the Supreme Leader. A former Iran Revolutionary Guards commander and ally of Khamenei, Qalibaf is the current speaker of the hardline-dominated parliament.
NBC News
Judge halts further student loan forgiveness under part of Biden's new repayment plan
The order from a federal judge in Missouri temporarily prohibits the Biden administration from forgiving loans under the SAVE plan.
AFP
Hot cocoa prices bring sweet profits, danger to Ecuador producers
Julia Avellan had been tempted to quit the cocoa business before prices unexpectedly exploded on the international market this year, bringing historic profits to Ecuador's farmers.Ecuador's main markets for cocoa are Indonesia, Malaysia, the United States, the Netherlands and Belgium.
Reuters
Factbox-Iran's presidential election process
The president runs the country day-to-day, but real power on issues such as Iran's nuclear programme and its foreign policy remain in the hands of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who analysts say seeks a fiercely loyal president he can trust. - Five hardliners and one low-key moderate were cleared to run for president by Iran’s hardline constitutional watchdog, the Guardian Council, out of 80 who registered to enter the contest. - The Council, which screens candidates for their political and Islamic qualifications, is a 12-strong panel of clerics appointed by the Supreme Leader and Islamic jurists nominated by the judiciary chief and approved by parliament.
NBC News
Chicago woman on Bahamas yoga retreat goes missing; family 'deeply concerned'
Authorities in the Bahamas were searching for a Chicago woman who was reported missing after she traveled to Paradise Island to attend a yoga retreat, according to police and her family.
AFP
EU kicks off membership talks with Ukraine, Moldova
The European Union formally launches accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova on Tuesday, setting the fragile ex-Soviet states off on a long path towards membership that Russia has tried to block.The meetings with Ukraine and Moldova on Tuesday will set off a process of screening of how far laws in the countries already comply with EU standards and how much more work lies ahead.
Associated Press
A romance turned deadly or police frame job? Closing arguments loom in Karen Read trial
Jurors in the long-running murder trial of Karen Read must decide whether she was a callous girlfriend who drove off after running over her Boston police officer boyfriend with her luxury SUV, or whether police framed her to cover up a brutal beatdown by his fellow officers. After nearly two months of testimony and a media storm fanned by true crime bloggers, lawyers were due to deliver closing arguments Tuesday before jurors tasked with sifting the wildly differing accounts of the death of Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe. Prosecutors contend Read struck O’Keefe with her Lexus SUV in January 2022, leaving him unconscious outside in the snow after a night of bar hopping.
Reuters
Iran’s presidential election dominated by Khamenei loyalists
Iranians choose a president on Friday in a tightly controlled election following Ebrahim Raisi's death in a helicopter crash last month, with the outcome expected to influence the succession to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's top decision-maker. With Iran's supreme leader now 85, it is likely that the next president will be closely involved in the eventual process of choosing a successor to Khamenei, who has ensured candidates sharing his hardline views dominate the presidential contest. The election coincides with escalating regional tensions due to the Israel-Hamas conflict, increased Western pressure on Iran over its rapidly advancing nuclear programme, and growing domestic dissent over political, social, and economic crises.
AFP
US urges Israel's defense minister to avoid Lebanon escalation
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Israel during a Monday meeting with its defense minister to avoid further escalation in Lebanon as they discussed efforts to reach a deal to free hostages in Gaza.Blinken also "underscored the importance of avoiding further escalation of the conflict and reaching a diplomatic resolution that allows both Israeli and Lebanese families to return to their homes," Miller said in a statement.
Associated Press
NTSB to discuss cause of fiery Ohio freight train wreck, recommend ways to avert future derailments
Residents of an eastern Ohio village will learn more about the fiery wreck of a Norfolk Southern freight train last year that derailed their lives as another hearing gets underway Tuesday in their hometown, with the National Transportation Safety Board set to discuss the ongoing investigation and issue recommendations for averting future disasters. Dozens of freight cars derailed Feb. 3, 2023, on the outskirts of East Palestine near the Pennsylvania border, including 11 carrying hazardous materials. Residents evacuated as fears grew about a potential explosion, and officials intentionally released and burned toxic vinyl chloride from five rail cars, sending flames and black smoke into the air despite the potential health effects.
Associated Press
Team combs fire-ravaged New Mexico community for remains of the missing
As residents return to a fire-ravaged village in the mountains of southern New Mexico, the mayor on Monday warned them that some parts of Ruidoso remain off limits as special search and rescue teams comb the charred rubble along the hardest-hit streets. Mayor Lynn Crawford put the number of missing at 29. Village officials said in a Sunday night update that the search teams have identified potential additional fatalities, but any confirmation will have to be made by investigators.

Latest Stories