Space tourism company names former HBO ‘Entourage’ actor ‘Chief Earth Activist’

AFP
Sri Lanka Tamils mark 15 years since end of civil war
Sri Lanka's minority Tamil community marked 15 years since the end of the island nation's civil war on Saturday in an emotional ceremony that proceeded despite fears authorities would attempt to prevent its staging.Saturday marked 15 years since the killing of the Tamil Tigers' charismatic but reclusive leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, who had led the separatist group in open rebellion against Sri Lankan forces since 1972.
AFP
Taiwan and China: different views across the strait
Standing on the shore of Taiwan's Kinmen island, Taiwanese tourists snap photos of the skyline of China's Xiamen city that is clearly visible across the sliver of water separating them.As Taiwan's president-elect Lai Ching-te, a staunch defender of Taiwan's sovereignty, prepares to take office on Monday, Taiwanese visitors to Kinmen hope he can avoid a conflict.
Reuters
Putin ally says EU is hypocritical for ban on Russian media
The speaker of Russia's parliament scolded the European Union on Saturday for banning the distribution of four Russian media outlets and said it showed how the West refused to accept any alternative point of view and was destroying freedom of speech. The European Union said on Friday it was suspending the distribution of Voice of Europe, RIA Novosti news agency and newspapers Izvestia and Rossiyskaya Gazeta on the grounds that they "have been essential and instrumental in bringing forward and supporting Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine". Russia has said that the move will result in a harsh response against Western media in Moscow, but has yet to announce which media organisations it will affect.
TODAY
The true story of how American landowners overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy and forced US annexation
Though many Americans think of a vacation in a tropical paradise when imagining Hawaii, how the 50th state came to be a part of the U.S. is actually a much darker story, generations in the making.
Reuters
Fifty dead in heavy rain, floods in central Afghanistan, official says
KABUL (Reuters) -At least 50 people are dead following a fresh bout of heavy rain and flooding in central Afghanistan, an official said on Saturday. Mawlawi Abdul Hai Zaeem, the head of the information department for the central Ghor province, told Reuters that there was no information about how many people were injured in the rain spell that began on Friday, which had also cut off many key roads to the area. Last week, flash floods caused by heavy rains devastated villages in northern Afghanistan, killing 315 people and injuring more than 1,600, authorities said on Sunday.
CNN
Zelensky wants China at Ukraine peace talks, cites ‘influence on Russia’
Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine wants to work with countries like China with “influence on Russia” as his country faces a renewed Moscow offensive, urging Beijing to attend peace talks next month.
CNN
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
A 55-year old man reduced signs of Alzheimer’s in his blood through lifestyle changes and a personalized regime of supplements and medications.
Time
State Department Issues Travel Advisory
The State Department specifically pointed to increased violence against LGBTQ+ people and pride-related events as a reason for the advisory.
CNN
Houston surveys destruction from deadly storms and races to restore power as Southeast and Gulf Coast face flood threat
As officials assess the damage from destructive storms in the Houston area that killed at least seven people and knocked out power amid rising temperatures, residents in the Southeast and Gulf Coast face a severe weather threat through Saturday that could bring another round of excessive rainfall and severe thunderstorms.
AFP
Ukraine's young soldiers voice support for mobilisation law
For "Mammoth", a military drone pilot on the Ukrainian front, a new mobilisation law aiming to increase troop numbers that comes into force on Saturday cannot come soon enough.The new law coming into force on Saturday lowers the minimum age of mobilisation from 27 to 25 in an effort to boost recruit numbers.
Associated Press
Colorado GOP chair's embrace of Trump tactics splits party as he tries to boost his own campaign
At a recent primary debate, congressional candidate Dave Williams took the microphone and unleashed the same MAGA arguments that vaulted him from a former state representative to chairman of the Colorado Republican Party. “Right now we have a battle for the soul of our party,” Williams said. Williams' zeal and deployment of former President Donald Trump's combative style of politics as state pary chairman has riven the Colorado GOP, reflecting the Trump-shaped rift in the national Republican Party.
Reuters
Eight arrested after climate activists breach German airport
FRANKFURT (Reuters) -German police arrested eight climate activists who breached the grounds of Munich airport on Saturday, causing it to briefly close and leading to around 60 flight cancellations during a busy holiday weekend. Six of the activists glued themselves to a runway, a police spokesperson said, adding the situation was now under control, with both of the airport's runways open for arrivals and takeoffs. "A total of six people are sitting in two groups on different locations of the Munich airport," one of the posts said.
NBC News
Trump falsely claims he won Minnesota in 2020
Former President Donald Trump reiterated a false claim on Friday that he won Minnesota in 2020, despite Democratic candidates carrying it for over 40 years.
Associated Press
Malaysia minister says terror suspect who killed 2 police officers acted on his own
The young man who attacked a Malaysian police station and killed two officers was a recluse and believed to have acted on his own, despite suspected links to the Jemaah Islamiyah terror group, the country's home minister said Saturday. The man stormed a police station in southern Johor state near Singapore in the early hours of Friday with a machete. Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution called it a “lone wolf attack,” based on the initial investigation, and said there was no threat to the wider public.
Associated Press
It was once a center of Islamic learning. Now Mali's historic city of Djenné mourns lack of visitors
Kola Bah used to earn a living as a tour guide in Mali's historic city of Djenné, once a center of Islamic learning known for the sprawling mud-brick mosque that has been on the UNESCO World Heritage in Danger list since 2016. The Grand Mosque of Djenné — the world’s largest mud-brick building — used to draw tens of thousands of tourists to central Mali every year.
Reuters
Donald Trump falsely tells supporters he won Minnesota in 2020
Donald Trump falsely claimed on Friday that he won the 2020 presidential election in Minnesota and he said he would win this year in the state that has not voted for a Republican presidential candidate in over 50 years. During an address to the Minnesota Republican Party's annual Lincoln-Reagan Dinner in St. Paul, Trump repeated the unfounded claim that the last presidential election, which he lost to Joe Biden, a Democrat, was tainted by widespread fraud. "I know we won (Minnesota) in 2020," Trump said to applause.
Associated Press
Even with school choice, some Black families find options lacking decades after Brown v. Board
Since first grade, Julian Morris, 16, has changed schools six times, swinging between predominantly white and predominantly Black classrooms. At predominately Black schools, he felt more supported as a Black student, but his mother, Denita Dorsey, said they didn't have the same resources and academic opportunities. Seventy years after the Supreme Court ruled separating children in schools on the basis of race was unconstitutional, Dorsey said the options available to her family in Michigan are disappointing.
AFP
Ineos drives towards hydrogen car future
At a sprawling vehicle test centre in the English countryside, a hydrogen-powered Grenadier 4x4 made by Ineos Automotive grips steep and rugged tracks, showcasing its off-road capabilities. Calder spoke from the UTAC vehicle test centre in Millbrook, a village north of London, where the hydrogen-powered vehicle quietly navigated dusty sharp bends and other obstacles.
Associated Press
For decades, states have taken foster children's federal benefits. That's starting to change
By the time Jesse Fernandez turned 18, the federal government had paid out thousands of dollars in Social Security survivor's benefits because of the death of his mother. The money had all been used by Missouri's foster care system or relatives responsible for his care. “I was shocked,” said Jason White, a foster parent to Fernandez.
Associated Press
Widespread power outages from deadly Houston storm raise new risk: hot weather
As the Houston area works to clean up and restore power to thousands after deadly storms, it will do so Saturday under a smog warning and as all of southern Texas starts to feel the heat. The National Weather Service in Houston warned that with temperatures hitting around 90 degrees (32.2 C) this weekend, people should know the symptoms of heat exhaustion. Fierce storms Thursday with winds of up to 100 mph (161 kph) blew out windows downtown, while a tornado touched down near the the northwest Houston suburb of Cypress.

Space tourism company names former HBO ‘Entourage’ actor ‘Chief Earth Activist’

Video Transcript

Latest Stories

Sri Lanka Tamils mark 15 years since end of civil war

Taiwan and China: different views across the strait

Putin ally says EU is hypocritical for ban on Russian media

The true story of how American landowners overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy and forced US annexation

Fifty dead in heavy rain, floods in central Afghanistan, official says

Zelensky wants China at Ukraine peace talks, cites ‘influence on Russia’

Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved

State Department Issues Travel Advisory

Houston surveys destruction from deadly storms and races to restore power as Southeast and Gulf Coast face flood threat

Ukraine's young soldiers voice support for mobilisation law

Colorado GOP chair's embrace of Trump tactics splits party as he tries to boost his own campaign

Eight arrested after climate activists breach German airport

Trump falsely claims he won Minnesota in 2020

Malaysia minister says terror suspect who killed 2 police officers acted on his own

It was once a center of Islamic learning. Now Mali's historic city of Djenné mourns lack of visitors

Donald Trump falsely tells supporters he won Minnesota in 2020

Even with school choice, some Black families find options lacking decades after Brown v. Board

Ineos drives towards hydrogen car future

For decades, states have taken foster children's federal benefits. That's starting to change

Widespread power outages from deadly Houston storm raise new risk: hot weather