Asia
Activists try to deliver aid to Palestinians in homes besieged by Israeli settlers
Activists have tried to delivered supplies to Palestinians whose homes in the occupied West Bank have been besieged for days by Israeli settlers. The group left water and food near one of the houses in Qusra where two Palestinian families have been trapped since Sunday, with their power and water supplies cut off. Two of the residents said Israeli forces had prevented the activists from delivering the aid directly to them, and the supplies had to be left outside. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) denied this. Also on Friday, a number of settlers returned to set up a tent near the site - a day after an operation to disperse them from the area.
UK diplomats no longer get hardship bonus for being posted to Buenos Aires
British diplomats in six locations around the world, including Buenos Aires and Santiago in South America, will no longer get hardship payments for working in dangerous cities. Bonuses and respite breaks are granted to those working in cities considered risky, like Beirut in Lebanon, or with high crime, such as Pretoria in South Africa, or high air pollution in cities including New Delhi and Beijing. The UK government has removed Santiago, in Chile, Panama City in Panama, Pyongyang in North Korea, Bamako in Mali, and Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in addition to the two south American cities, according to the latest list published last week, external . The 144 locations still on the list include many trouble spots but also popular holiday destinations such as Bali and Rio De Janeiro, prompting criticism from the Conservatives. Tory chairman Kevin Hollin rake said civil servants receiving extra pay for working in such areas is unfair on the taxpayer. The Foreign Office has given civil servants extra payments for working in areas where there is a high level of danger, or high risks to health, for the past 30 years.
Scientists sound alarm over incurable mad cow disease infecting humans as new threat closes in on US
You're viewing the US edition You can switch to the UK or AU homepage at any time using this menu. Luigi Mangione tells judge he'll plead guilty to stalking UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson who he's also accused of murdering Female Antifa goon's lies about what she was doing at Portland ICE protest backfire and end in her VERY public disgrace'Heinous' slurs about Lindsay Clancy's ex-husband Patrick explode... now his family speak out as murder trial grips America Oprah's frantically trying to distract from a looming Hollywood bombshell... the timeline is genuinely disturbing: MAUREEN CALLAHAN Iran's chilling midterm gamble against Trump revealed as insiders warn regime is'playing with fire' '80s sitcom child star who ditched Hollywood for a quiet career looks unrecognizable at 55 as he steps out with wife in LA... can you guess who? Perez Hilton's horrifying first request from hospital bed after knife livestream: This is'the worst thing possible' say devastated insiders... who reveal star's dark childhood secret Lindsay Clancy's final texts to husband on day she killed her kids emerge as trial is shown video of family museum trip weeks before tragedy'Perfectly fit' woman thought she had acid reflux... two hours later, she was dead. Wild-eyed boy, 17, killed mom and brother, 14, at $1m home after ChatGPT'murder my family' search - then spent $2,000 on CEREAL BARS, prosecutors say Shocking real reason Luigi Mangione is set to plead GUILTY... as defense attorney reveals all: 'There's a lot happening behind the scenes' Trump administration steps into surrogate's battle over baby with a heart defect biological parents asked her to abort Harrowing new details emerge about The Challenge star Tyler Duckworth's shock death aged 44 after he was found'unresponsive' in bathroom Trump official's X-rated sex toy video with foreign agent she lives with in debauched'frat house'... read their wild texts Matthew McConaughey reveals which blockbuster makes him the most residuals and it's not his Oscar winner Biologists are sounding the alarm over two growing threats on a potentially dangerous collision course with the US. Researchers warned that vampire bats moving north could combine with chronic wasting disease (CWD), a fatal, contagious neurological illness spreading south through deer populations, potentially creating a pathway for a mad cow-like disease to reach humans.
Gold medal for delusion: Nearly four in 10 men believe they could qualify for the 2028 Olympics if they started training now, study reveals
You're viewing the US edition You can switch to the UK or AU homepage at any time using this menu. Luigi Mangione tells judge he'll plead guilty to stalking UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson who he's also accused of murdering Female Antifa goon's lies about what she was doing at Portland ICE protest backfire and end in her VERY public disgrace'Heinous' slurs about Lindsay Clancy's ex-husband Patrick explode... now his family speak out as murder trial grips America Oprah's frantically trying to distract from a looming Hollywood bombshell... the timeline is genuinely disturbing: MAUREEN CALLAHAN Iran's chilling midterm gamble against Trump revealed as insiders warn regime is'playing with fire' '80s sitcom child star who ditched Hollywood for a quiet career looks unrecognizable at 55 as he steps out with wife in LA... can you guess who? Perez Hilton's horrifying first request from hospital bed after knife livestream: This is'the worst thing possible' say devastated insiders... who reveal star's dark childhood secret Lindsay Clancy's final texts to husband on day she killed her kids emerge as trial is shown video of family museum trip weeks before tragedy'Perfectly fit' woman thought she had acid reflux... two hours later, she was dead. Wild-eyed boy, 17, killed mom and brother, 14, at $1m home after ChatGPT'murder my family' search - then spent $2,000 on CEREAL BARS, prosecutors say Shocking real reason Luigi Mangione is set to plead GUILTY... as defense attorney reveals all: 'There's a lot happening behind the scenes' Trump administration steps into surrogate's battle over baby with a heart defect biological parents asked her to abort Harrowing new details emerge about The Challenge star Tyler Duckworth's shock death aged 44 after he was found'unresponsive' in bathroom Trump official's X-rated sex toy video with foreign agent she lives with in debauched'frat house'... read their wild texts Matthew McConaughey reveals which blockbuster makes him the most residuals and it's not his Oscar winner Athletes who compete in the Olympics have usually spent most of their lives preparing for the event. But nearly four in 10 British men believe they could qualify for the next Games if they started training now, according to a poll.
Jon Stewart reveals his worst ever Daily Show interview guest
Look Up Safety Net Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Creator Hub Versus Say More Gift Ideas For Everyone On Your List Mashable Selects Switch Off Trending Now In My Bag VidCon with Mashable All Series Jon Stewart reveals his worst ever'Daily Show' interview guest Sam Haysom is the General Assignment Editor, UK, for Mashable. He covers entertainment and online culture, and writes horror fiction in his spare time. Jon Stewart mercilessly questions'Elmo' over controversial NBA post Jon Stewart tells Stephen Colbert what he really thinks about'The Late Show' ending Donald Rumsfeld, who was U.S. Secretary of Defense during the Iraq war. In the clip above, Stewart says he concocted a trap for Rumsfeld that he thought would allow him to win the interview, but then got so focused on it that he missed something he felt undermined his argument. I did not, to my feeling, have a satisfying encounter with him.
Russia says hit Ukrainian railway and port facilities in new strikes
Russia says its forces have struck a railway station at the Ukrainian Danube port of Izmail and two vessels near Mykolaiv, as Ukrainian drones hit targets inside Russia, including a Baltic oil export hub and a warehouse near Moscow. The Russian Ministry of Defence said on Friday that the railway station in Izmail was being used to load, store, and transport military cargo and fuel for Ukraine's armed forces, according to state news agency TASS. The developments follow Russian attacks a day earlier that damaged port infrastructure and caused power cuts in Izmail, a vital export hub on the Danube River near the Romanian border. Meanwhile, Russian authorities said a Ukrainian drone attack triggered a fire at Ust-Luga, a major Baltic Sea oil export port in the Leningrad region. Regional Governor Alexander Drozdenko said the fire had been brought under control and cleared with no casualties reported.
Russian regions report new fuel crunch as Kyiv hits refineries
Thick plumes of smoke with flames rise from an oil refinery following a Ukrainian drone attack, in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Moscow on June 18, in this picture obtained from social media. Several regions of Russia are facing fuel shortages again after Ukraine resumed almost daily attacks on oil refineries in the country. The Orenburg region in Russia's Urals introduced a rationing system starting Wednesday that allows sales based on vehicle license plates, limits gasoline and diesel sales per driver at the pump and bans the filling of fuel canisters. That followed Ukraine's drone strike Tuesday on the Orsk refinery in the region that's some 1,500 kilometers southeast of Moscow, which officials said could take as long as six months to repair. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
North Korea fumes over upcoming US-South Korea military drills
North Korea has denounced major United States-South Korea military drills set to start next week as a provocation that heightens tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The US-Japan-South Korea military cooperation is turning into a nuclear alliance, and North Korea will respond to a new level of threat with a new level of deterrent, a spokesperson for North Korea's Foreign Ministry said on Friday, according to Pyongyang's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The drills - named "Ulchi Freedom Shield" - are due to start on August 17 and will last until August 27. They will incorporate exercises to counter drones, GPS disruption, and cyberattacks as the US and its allies adapt to North Korea's evolving capabilities. "The US announced that the forthcoming exercises are quite different from the ones of the past five years and intended to master the ability of fighting a war on the basis of the new aspects of modern warfare," the North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in the statement.
Apple trains its own AI model for China market with Alibaba's support, sources say
Apple trains its own AI model for China market with Alibaba's support, sources say People walk past a booth showcasing Apple's suppliers during the China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing on June 22. Apple has trained a large language model specifically for the China market, three people familiar with the matter said, a departure from the iPhone maker's strategy of relying on third-party models to power AI features in the country. The AI model was developed in partnership with Alibaba Group and trained with the Chinese tech giant's support, the people said, declining to be named as the information is sensitive and not public. Apple's training of its own China-specific model has not been reported before. The company had previously leaned toward domestic partners' models to bring generative AI to iPhones and other devices sold in China, where U.S. models such as Anthropic's Claude and OpenAI's ChatGPT, which Apple pairs with its own technology in its home market, are not available.
US says dozens of countries helped China dodge Trump's tariffs
US says dozens of countries helped China dodge Trump's tariffs The White House said in a report on Thursday that more than 40 countries have helped China sidestep US tariffs by routing exports through nations that face lower American import duties. The countries named include Canada, India, Mexico, Japan and South Korea, which the White House said had helped China evade tens of billions of dollars in tariffs. White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said it had cost American jobs and billions in revenue. A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington said in response to BBC queries that trade wars have no winners and that it opposes the US' tariff measures and the use of state power to target China's companies. The spokesperson added that any unilateral actions or agreements concerning transshipped goods must not target or harm the interests of third parties.