Top General News

US military says first aid shipment has been driven across a newly built US pier into the Gaza Strip

May. 17, 2024 02:19 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Trucks carrying badly needed aid for the Gaza Strip rolled across a newly built U.S. floating pier into the besieged enclave for the first time Friday as Israeli restrictions on border crossings and heavy fighting hinder food and other supplies reaching people there. ...

Hezbollah introduces new weapons and tactics against Israel as war in Gaza drags on

May. 17, 2024 01:25 AM EDT

BEIRUT (AP) — The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah this week struck a military post in northern Israel using a drone that fired two missiles. The attack wounded three soldiers, one of them seriously, according to the Israeli military. Hezbollah has regularly fired missiles across...

Severe storms kill at least 4 in Houston, knock out power to 900,000 homes and businesses

May. 17, 2024 03:32 AM EDT

HOUSTON (AP) — Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas on Thursday for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. ...

Massive Ukrainian drone attack on Crimea causes power cutoffs in Sevastopol

May. 17, 2024 04:34 AM EDT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A massive Ukrainian drone attack on Crimea early Friday caused power cutoffs in the city of Sevastopol and set a refinery ablaze in southern Russia, Russian authorities said. The drone raids marked Kyiv's attempt to strike back during Moscow's offensive in...

Putin focuses on trade and cultural exchanges in Harbin, China, after reaffirming ties with Xi

May. 17, 2024 02:06 AM EDT

BEIJING (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin focused on trade and cultural exchanges Friday during his state visit to China that started with bonhomie in Beijing and a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping that deepened their “ no limits ” partnership as both countries face rising...

North Korea test-fires suspected missiles a day after US and South Korea conduct a fighter jet drill

May. 17, 2024 03:33 AM EDT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea fired suspected short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on Friday, South Korea’s military said, a day after South Korea and the U.S. flew powerful fighter jets in a joint drill that the North views as a major security threat. South...

French police fatally shoot a man suspected of planning to set fire to a synagogue

May. 17, 2024 04:11 AM EDT

PARIS (AP) — French police shot and killed a man armed with a knife and a metal bar who is suspected of having set fire to a synagogue in the Normandy city of Rouen early on Friday, authorities said. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin posted on the social media site X that the...

Brazil picked by FIFA to get soccer's 2027 Women's World Cup, a first for South America

May. 17, 2024 03:49 AM EDT

BANGKOK (AP) — Brazil will host the 2027 Women’s World Cup after a vote of FIFA’s full membership chose the South American bid over a joint proposal from Belgium, Netherlands and Germany. The FIFA Congress on Friday voted 119-78 for Brazil in the reduced field of two candidates...

70 years after Brown v. Board, America is both more diverse — and more segregated

May. 17, 2024 00:02 AM EDT

On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court laid out a new precedent: Separate but equal has no place in American schools. The message of Brown v. Board of Education was clear. But 70 years later, the impact of the decision is still up for debate. Have Americans truly ended segregation in...

The latest hot spot for illegal border crossings is San Diego. But routes change quickly

May. 17, 2024 00:20 AM EDT

JACUMBA HOT SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) — On many nights, hundreds of migrants squeeze through poles in a border wall or climb over on metal ladders. They gather in a buffer zone between two walls with views of the night lights of Tijuana, Mexico, waiting hours for Border Patrol agents while volunteers...

Latest General News

Japan passes a revised law allowing joint child custody for divorced parents for the first time

May. 17, 2024 04:52 AM EDT

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s parliament on Friday passed a revision to the country’s civil code that will allow divorced parents the option of joint child custody, a change that brings the nation in line with many other countries. The revision, the first to custody rights in nearly 80...

Turkey's Erdogan pardons elderly generals imprisoned over 1997 'postmodern coup'

May. 17, 2024 04:49 AM EDT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday pardoned seven former top military officers who were sentenced to life terms in prison over the ouster of an Islamic-led government in 1997. The former generals, who are in their late 70s and 80s, were pardoned...

China rolls out new measures to fix its property crisis, spur growth

May. 17, 2024 04:48 AM EDT

China announced a slate of fresh measures Friday to reinvigorate its ailing property industry after the latest data showed housing prices have slumped nearly 10% since the start of the year. Among other things, the central bank said it would reduce the minimum down payment for...

8 EU members say conditions in Syria should be reassessed to allow voluntary refugee returns

May. 17, 2024 04:41 AM EDT

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — The governments of eight European Union member states said Friday the situation in Syria should be re-evaluated to allow for the voluntary return of Syrian refugees back to their homeland. In a joint declaration, officials from Austria, the Czech Republic,...

Massive Ukrainian drone attack on Crimea causes power cutoffs in Sevastopol

May. 17, 2024 04:34 AM EDT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A massive Ukrainian drone attack on Crimea early Friday caused power cutoffs in the city of Sevastopol and set a refinery ablaze in southern Russia, Russian authorities said. The drone raids marked Kyiv's attempt to strike back during Moscow's offensive in...

Suspect in shooting of Slovak prime minister is escorted to his home as police search for evidence

May. 17, 2024 04:27 AM EDT

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — A man charged with attempting to assassinate Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was escorted by police to his home on Friday morning, with media saying that it was part of a search for evidence. Fico, 59, was shot multiple times on Wednesday as he was...

Yemen's Houthi rebels claim shooting down another US MQ-9 Predator drone as footage shows wreckage

May. 17, 2024 04:26 AM EDT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Yemen's Houthi rebels on Friday claimed to have shot down an American drone, hours after footage circulated online of what appeared to be the wreckage of an MQ-9 Predator drone. The U.S. military did not immediately acknowledge the incident. If...

Stock market today: World shares retreat, though China stocks are lifted by new property measures

May. 17, 2024 04:19 AM EDT

World shares were mostly lower on Friday, though Chinese stocks reversed earlier losses following the announcement of fresh measures to revive the ailing property market. U.S. futures were little changed, with the contract for the Dow Jones Industrial Average near 40,000 after it...

French police fatally shoot a man suspected of planning to set fire to a synagogue

May. 17, 2024 04:11 AM EDT

PARIS (AP) — French police shot and killed a man armed with a knife and a metal bar who is suspected of having set fire to a synagogue in the Normandy city of Rouen early on Friday, authorities said. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin posted on the social media site X that the...

A look at assassinations and assassination attempts this century

May. 17, 2024 04:10 AM EDT

Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico was seriously wounded in an apparent assassination attempt just weeks before a Europe-wide election that has been deeply divisive. He was shot multiple times in an attack in the town of Handlova that authorities described as politically motivated, although...