Author: Press Room

The ceasefire in Gaza hangs in the balance as Israel insists on extending phase one.Palestinians in Gaza were planning to enter the Muslim holy month of Ramadan as the second phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas got under way. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government now wants to renegotiate the terms. Israel is pressuring Hamas to extend the first phase of the ceasefire, in exchange for releasing half of the remaining 59 captives. And it has again cut off aid and supplies to Gaza. Hamas is accusing Israel of reneging on the existing deal and is urging…

There’s at least one thing Americans widely agree on about President Donald Trump: they think he’s changing the way the government works. But they’re more split on whether that’s for the better or worse. His approach to immigration and deportation continues to receive positive marks, and his border policies are seen as effective. A large majority agree there is some waste in the federal government. DOGE and Elon Musk’s efforts divide the nation, though, as Americans foresee an impact from dismissing federal workers. Half the country thinks this will cut their services and remove essential people. Half think it’ll save money.Either way, it…

Two men have been charged with the murder of Brianna Long, more than a year after the 21-year-old Georgia college student was killed while at work.She was hit by a stray bullet as she worked as a bartender at The Pier Bar near Valdosta State University (VSU), where she was a student, on October 29, 2023. A co-worker at the bar was also hit by a bullet and later recovered from his injuries.On Tuesday, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) charged Tsion Clayton, 23, and Kimone Green, 21, with one count of malice murder in connection to Long’s death. Both men…

Robert Mailman turns 77 later this month, and as a birthday gift there is nothing he would like more than answers about what led to him spending 18 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit. The New Brunswick man is hoping to get his hands on a copy of the external review commissioned by the Saint John, N.B., police chief into the force’s handling of his case. Mailman and his friend Walter Gillespie served lengthy prison sentences after being convicted of a 1983 murder, and it was only in January 2024 that a court ruled they had been…

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. — Every once in a while, Derek Bender will send a text to one of his former teammates. Or he’ll call, and leave a voicemail.But, after what happened on Sept. 6, he has not received one text back. Not one call. He’s been left on read, a ghosted pariah to a team that has nothing left to do with him.More than five months have passed since the day the former Minnesota Twins minor league catcher was accused of giving away pitches to opposing batters on the Lakeland Flying Tigers, trying to ensure his team would miss the playoffs…

A number of countries have indicated they wanted to be part of Europe’s planned “coalition of the willing” to help Ukraine, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says, without naming those countries.”On the coalition of the willing, yes, a number of countries indicated today that they want to be part of the plan that we are developing,” Starmer told a news conference following a meeting of European leaders in London.”I’ll leave them to make their own statements about exactly how they want to make that contribution but we’ve been able to move that forward,” he said.”I accept, without criticism and with…

“The situation is urgent,” said Muthukumara Mani, World Bank lead environmental economist, based in Hanoi.Even state media, after years of near silence on air quality, has become noticeably vocal in Vietnam, a one-party state.VietnamNet, the official news site of the ministry of information and communications, published a rare call for action in January, warning air pollution was “a crisis demanding immediate attention”.Authorities declined to talk to AFP but Mani said there was recognition of the problem “at the highest level in the country”, citing a trip to China made by senior Hanoi officials to learn how Beijing fixed its once-awful…

In SummaryUrbanization in Africa is booming, but will its cities be sustainable or overwhelmed by pollution and congestion? Some nations are taking the lead, investing in smart infrastructure, renewable energy, and climate-adaptive planning.In 2025, Rwanda’s Kigali will remain Africa’s cleanest and most efficiently planned city while South Africa expands its smart city projects. As climate change and rapid population growth pose new challenges, these 10 African countries stand out for their innovative policies, forward-thinking urban development, and commitment to building greener, more livable cities.Deep Dive!!What do Rwanda, South Africa, and Morocco have in common? They are among the African countries driving…

One cartel leader says he’s trying to figure out how to protect his family in case the American military strikes inside Mexico. Another says he’s already gone into hiding, rarely leaving his home. Two young men who produce fentanyl for the cartel say they have shut down all their drug labs.A barrage of arrests, drug seizures and lab busts by the Mexican authorities in recent months has struck the behemoth Sinaloa Cartel, according to Mexican officials and interviews with six cartel operatives, forcing at least some of its leaders to scale back on fentanyl production in Sinaloa state, their stronghold.The…

We found huge errors in the “wall of receipts” for Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, where the group lists what it has saved by canceling federal contracts. After The New York Times and other news organizations pointed out the errors, the team quietly removed all five of the largest savings it originally claimed. But David A. Fahrenthold, an investigative reporter for The New York Times, describes how Mr. Musk’s group then added new errors.