Hispanic Heritage Month puts diversity and culture at the forefront
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Nightlife now rules in Iraq’s former IS bastion
Mosul, Iraq — If they had tried to do this a few years ago, the group of Iraqi women enjoying a night out in Mosul would probably have risked severe punishment. The northern city was under the harsh rule of the Islamic State group until the jihadists were ousted from their last major Iraqi bastion in …
Muralists paint over traces of violence in Salvadoran neighborhood
MEJICANOS, El Salvador — From the window of her tin-sided shop outside El Salvador’s capital, San Salvador, Esmeralda Quintanilla watches artists get to work in her neighborhood on walls still pockmarked by bullet holes from the country’s civil war and gang conflict. Armed with brushes, paint and spray cans, muralists and graffiti artists have already covered …
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Brazilian dog plays footvolley by passing, driving ball with his snout
rio de janeiro — Rio de Janeiro’s main beaches bustle with commotion on sunny weekends. But activity ground to a near standstill on one stretch of sand. People held up their phones to record athletic feats they’d never before witnessed, or even imagined. The game? Footvolley, a combination of soccer and beach volleyball. The athlete? A …
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Italian prosecutors seek 6-year sentence for Salvini in migration case
rome — Italian prosecutors requested on Saturday a six-year prison sentence for Matteo Salvini, Italy’s far-right deputy prime minister, for allegedly blocking migrants from disembarking at one of the country’s ports in 2019. Salvini, a partner in Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s coalition, is on trial for alleged deprivation of liberty and abuse of office for keeping …
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WHO flags limited mpox testing in epicenter DRC
Geneva, Switzerland — Limited capacity is keeping mpox testing coverage low in the DR Congo — the epicenter of the international emergency — the World Health Organization said Saturday in its latest situation report. “Testing coverage in the Democratic Republic of the Congo remains low, due to limited testing capacity,” the United Nations health agency said …
‘Shame must change sides’ — France’s rape plaintiff becomes feminist icon
Marseille, France — Walking into court each day with her head held high, the ex-wife of a Frenchman on trial for orchestrating multiple rapes of her in her own bed for almost a decade has become a feminist icon. With her now trademark auburn bob and dark glasses, 71-year-old Gisele Pelicot has become a figurehead in …
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NATO’s Bauer, others support Ukraine using long-range weapons against Russia
PRAGUE — The head of NATO’s military committee said Saturday that Ukraine has the solid legal and military right to strike deep inside Russia to gain combat advantage — reflecting the beliefs of several U.S. allies — even as the Biden administration balks at allowing Kyiv to do so using American-made weapons. “Every nation that is …
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Ukraine: N. Korea’s military aid to Russia presents battlefield problem
kyiv, ukraine — Ukraine’s spy chief said Saturday that Russia’s increased production of guided bombs as well as artillery ammunition deliveries from North Korea present major problems for Ukrainian forces on the battlefield. The head of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency GUR, Kyrylo Budanov, said North Korean military aid to Russia presented the biggest concern compared to …
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Biden to use rest of term putting Ukraine in ‘best position,’ says adviser
Kyiv, Ukraine — U.S. President Joe Biden will use the remaining four months of his term “to put Ukraine in the best possible position to prevail,” a senior adviser said Saturday. Speaking remotely to a forum in Kyiv, Ukraine, Jake Sullivan, the U.S. national security adviser, also said Biden will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in …
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Ballerina DePrince, whose career inspired many after she was born into war, dies at 29
FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida — Ballet dancer Michaela Mabinty DePrince, who came to the United States from an orphanage in war-ravaged Sierra Leone and performed on some of the world’s biggest stages, has died, her family said in a statement. She was 29. “Michaela touched so many lives across the world, including ours. She was an unforgettable …
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5 dead in Romania as central Europe braces for severe flooding
BUCHAREST, Romania — Five people in eastern Romania were found dead after torrential rainstorms dumped unprecedented rain, leaving hundreds stranded in flooded areas, emergency authorities said Saturday. Rescue services scrambled to save people in the hard-hit eastern counties of Galati and Vaslui. The bodies of three elderly women and two men were found in the localities …
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Thousands attend rally organized by Poland’s nationalist opposition party
WARSAW, Poland — Thousands of people attended an antigovernment rally organized by Poland’s nationalist conservative opposition party to boost support before next year’s presidential election. Law and Justice leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski called on supporters to be active at social and political levels and to back the party’s candidate in next year’s presidential election. He hasn’t yet …
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Prince Harry turns 40 as the royal scamp moves to middle age
LONDON — Prince Harry was always something different. From the moment he first appeared in public, snuggled in Princess Diana’s arms outside the London hospital where he was born in 1984, Harry was the ginger-haired scamp who stuck his tongue out at photographers. He grew to be a boisterous adolescent who was roundly criticized for wearing …
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Iran says it is open to talks but rejects pressure from US, EU
DUBAI — Iran’s foreign minister said that Tehran was open to diplomacy to solve disputes but not “threats and pressure,” state media reported on Saturday, after the U.S. and three European powers imposed sanctions against the country’s aviation sector. Abbas Araqchi’s comments come a day after the European Union’s chief diplomat said the bloc is considering …
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US historian leads Kyiv charity run highlighting plight of Ukrainian POWs
KYIV, Ukraine — U.S. historian and author Timothy Snyder led a charity run in Kyiv Saturday to raise awareness of the conditions under which Ukrainian prisoners of war are held in Russia as the conflict approaches a third winter. The race came following a recent escalation in Russian missile and drone attacks, largely aimed at Ukraine’s …
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Russia, Ukraine exchange 206 prisoners in second swap in two days
KYIV, UKRAINE — Russia and Ukraine conducted a major exchange of prisoners Saturday, 206 in all, in their second such swap in two days, following negotiations mediated by the United Arab Emirates, officials said. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that all 103 Ukrainians returned were from the military — 82 soldiers and privates and 21 officers. The …
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US-Russia battle for influence in Africa plays out in Central African Republic
BANGUI, Central African Republic — Hours after Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin rebelled against his country’s top military leaders, his private army’s biggest client in Africa panicked, turning for help to his foe in the West. Officials from Central African Republic, where some 1,500 of Prigozhin’s Wagner Group mercenaries were stationed, wrote a letter that day, …
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Brazil officially welcomes return of sacred Indigenous cloak from Denmark
RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil formally received on Thursday the return from Denmark of an Indigenous cloak made with 4,000 red feathers of the scarlet ibis bird, a sacred mantle that was taken by Europeans during the 17th century colonial era. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attended the ceremony outside Brazil’s National Museum in Rio …
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Animal rights groups object to Buckingham Palace guards’ bearskin caps
london — An animal rights group trying to get real fur out of the bearskin caps worn by King’s Guards at Buckingham Palace took aim Thursday at the cost of the ceremonial garb. The price of the caps soared 30% in a year to more than 2,000 pounds ($2,600) apiece for the hats made of black …
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‘Groundbreaking’ realism key to ‘Shogun’ success
Tokyo — The samurai in Shogun don’t swing their arms as they walk — just one of many authentic historical details that have helped make the hit television drama this year’s top Emmys contender. The period drama, praised for its meticulous approach to accuracy, made TV history with 25 Emmy nominations, and has already swept up …
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Pentagon: $5.9B in Ukraine aid is left to be spent before October 1
pentagon — The Pentagon says it has nearly $6 billion in funding for Ukraine left that could expire at the end of this month unless Congress or the State Department acts to extend the military’s authority to draw weapons from its stockpiles to send to Kyiv. “We have $5.9 billion left in Ukraine Presidential Drawdown Authority, …
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US slams RT as ‘de facto’ arm of Russian intelligence
washington — The United States and some of its allies have launched a global campaign to undercut efforts by RT and other Russian state-backed media outlets, accusing them of operating on behalf of the Kremlin’s intelligence agencies. The State Department on Friday announced sanctions against two people and three entities, including RT’s Moscow-based parent company, saying …
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Zelenskyy says he will present his peace plan to Biden
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