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Spotify’s Artificial Intelligence DJ announcer, Xavier X Jernigan’s shadow, is pictured as he attends the presentation of the latest Spotify tool in Mexico City on July 17, 2024. [AFP] A rising tide of artificial intelligence (AI) bands is ushering in a new era where work will be scarcer for musicians. Whether it’s Velvet Sundown’s 1970s-style rock or country music projects “Aventhis” and “The Devil Inside,” bands whose members are pure AI creations are seeing more than a million plays on streaming giant Spotify. No major streaming service clearly labels tracks that come entirely from AI, except France’s Deezer. Meanwhile, the…

A truck carrying parts for water line installation drives past people in the Palestinian side of Rafah on July 28, 2025, as aid trucks begin entering the Gaza Strip from Egypt. [AFP]  The humanitarian disaster in Gaza is reminiscent of last century’s famines in Ethiopia and Nigeria’s Biafra region which jointly claimed over two million lives, the UN food agency warned Tuesday. The World Food Programme joined warnings that famine is underway in the Gaza Strip. “This is unlike anything we have seen in this century,” WFP emergency director Ross Smith told reporters in Geneva. “It reminds us of previous…

World Rugby chairman Brett Robinson has pledged a “bigger, bolder and more accessible” World Cup than ever before when Australia hosts the men’s event in 2027. Published Date: 2025-07-29 12:17:57 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

A truck carrying parts for water line installation drives past people in the Palestinian side of Rafah on July 28, 2025, as aid trucks begin entering the Gaza Strip from Egypt.  [AFP] Gaza’s civil defence agency said Tuesday that Israeli air strikes killed at least 30 Palestinians, including women and children, in the central Nuseirat district. Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said the strikes were carried out overnight and into the morning and “targeted a number of citizens’ homes” in the Nuseirat refugee camp. The local Al-Awda hospital said it had received “the bodies of 30 martyrs, including 14 women…

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez gestures as he speaks during a biannual press conference at La Moncloa Palace in Madrid on July 28, 2025. [AFP] Spain said on Monday it would airdrop 12 tonnes of food into Gaza this week as the threat of famine stalks the Palestinian territory after 21 months of war. The operation is a rare example of a European nation joining Middle Eastern countries in sending aid by air. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, one of the most virulent critics of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, told a news conference the delivery would take place from Jordan…

This photograph shows interior of a burnt house during a wildfire in Kryoneri, near Athens on July 26, 2025.[AFP] Firefighters battled blazes across Turkey on Monday, as the country sweltered in a summer heatwave. According to officials, wildfires over the past week have led to at least 14 deaths in Turkey and sparked the evacuations of 19 villages and more than 3,500 people elsewhere from their homes. Turkey’s latest heatwave peaked with temperatures above 40C across much of the country last week and even reached a record 50.5C on Friday in the far southeast, in Silopi, near the Iraqi and Syrian…

 President Donald Trump.[AFP] The European Union became on Sunday the latest exporter to conclude a trade deal with the United States in a bid to limit damage from US tariffs taking effect on August 1. The levies, agreed by Britain, the EU, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippine and Vietnam are generally higher than the new base rate of 10 percent that the United States has applied to most countries since April. But they are lower than the levels of customs duty the administration of President Donald Trump threatened to impose on August 1 if no deal were reached. While many details…

Multiple world champions Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton both accused race organisers of being overcautious when the start of the Belgian Grand Prix was delayed Published Date: 2025-07-28 13:13:47 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Chloe Kelly converted the decisive kick as England beat Spain 3-1 on penalties to lift the Women’s Euro 2025 trophy Published Date: 2025-07-28 13:08:43 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

A truck loaded with humanitarian aid drives toward the Gaza Strip through the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing on July 27, 2025.[AFP] Israel has said more than 120 truckloads of food aid were distributed by the UN and aid agencies in the Gaza Strip on the first day of a promised limited break in fighting. On Sunday, Israel declared a “tactical pause” in military operations in part of Gaza and promised to open secure routes for aid, urging humanitarian groups to step up food distribution. “Over 120 trucks were collected and distributed on Monday by the UN and international…

A donkey stands next to a boy by destroyed tents in the aftermath of overnight Israeli bombardment in the Japanese neighbourhood.[AFP] United Nations chief Antonio Guterres urged the international community on Monday to reject hunger as a weapon of war. UN agencies have been warning of life-threatening hunger in Gaza as aid supplies dried up, and international pressure has been building for a ceasefire to allow a massive relief operation. Israel’s government, under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, furiously denies that it is using hunger as a weapon of war, and instead accuses the aid agencies of failing to pick up…

Palestinians chant slogans during a demonstration in support of palestinians in Gaza facing severe shortages of food and other essentials in the city of Ramallah.[AFP]  Israeli settlers attacked the Christian Palestinian village of Taybeh in the occupied West Bank, torching cars and spray-painting threatening graffiti, the Palestinian Authority said. “Israeli colonial settlers launched a terror attack tonight on the Christian Palestinian village of Taybeh (Ramallah), setting fire to Palestinian vehicles and spray-painting racist threats in Hebrew on homes and property”, the Ramallah-based authority wrote on Monday on X. A Taybeh resident, speaking anonymously for safety reasons, told AFP the attack…

 Revellers line dance during the International Cowboy Day at Ngong race course in Nairobi.[AFP] The party is in Kenya, but the vibe is distinctly Americana: a sea of cowboy hats and boots with a soundtrack of whisky-soaked tales about heartbreak and good ol’ boys. Kenya has become the unlikely home of a growing country music scene, possibly the biggest in Africa, as testified by the thousands line-dancing in a field in the capital Nairobi this weekend for International Cowboys and Cowgirls Day. The festival crowd went wild for the king of the local country scene, “Sir Elvis” Otieno, as his…

Flood-affected area after heavy rains at Xin’anzhuang village in Miyun district.[AFP] A landslide triggered by unusually heavy rain killed four people and left eight others missing in northern China’s Hebei province, as downpours force thousands to evacuate. The landslide in a village near Chengde City was “due to heavy rainfall”, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Monday. The national emergency management department said it dispatched a team to inspect the “severe” flooding in Hebei, which encircles the capital Beijing. Swathes of northern China have been inundated in recent days, with record rain in Hebei killing two people on Saturday, state media…

  Pedestrians walk in front of electronic quotation boards displaying the Japanese yen’s rate (R) against the US dollar and the Nikkei Stock Average (L) on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in central Tokyo on July 23, 2025. [AFP] Dozens of economies, including India, Canada and Mexico, face threats of higher tariffs Friday if they fail to strike deals with Washington. Here is a summary of duties President Donald Trump has introduced in his second term as he pressures allies and competitors alike to reshape US trade relationships. Follow The Standard channel on WhatsApp Global tariffs US “reciprocal” tariffs — imposed…

  A container ship sails past buildings in Qingdao, in China’s eastern Shandong province on July 25, 2025. [AFP] Top economic officials from the United States and China are set to renew negotiations Monday, with an extension of lower tariff levels on the cards, as President Donald Trump’s trade policy enters a critical week. Talks between the world’s top two economies are slated to happen over two days in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, and they come as other countries are also rushing to finalise deals with Washington. Follow The Standard channel on WhatsApp For dozens of trading partners, failing to…

US President Donald Trump played golf under tight security on the first full day of a visit to Scotland Saturday, as hundreds of protesters took to the streets in major cities. Published Date: 2025-07-26 17:00:00 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

French President Emmanuel Macron (R) meets with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 25, 2024. [AFP] France will formally recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September, President Emmanuel Macron announced Thursday. The moves takes to at least 142 the number of countries that now recognise or plan to recognise Palestinian statehood, according to an AFP tally, defying strong opposition from Israel and the United States. France would become the most significant European power to recognise a Palestinian state, and the…

Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti.[AFP] A months long standoff over Kosovo’s next parliamentary speaker is dragging the tiny Balkan nation toward an unparalleled crisis, experts warn, ahead of a deadline this weekend. After more than 50 attempts, Kosovo’s MPs now have just two days to meet a court mandate to pick their new speaker, a key step toward Albin Kurti’s possible return to office. “This is an unparalleled situation, an undefined vacuum and chaos,” law professor Mazllum Baraliu told AFP. Although Kurti’s Vetevendosje party topped the February elections, it did not win the seats needed to install its chosen speaker,…

An aerial view shows wooden boats docked along a flooded street in Calumpit town, Bulacan province, north of Manila.[AFP] Rescuers in the northern Philippine used boats to pick up residents stranded by flooding on Friday as Typhoon Co-May was downgraded to a tropical storm and the death toll from a week of monsoon rains edged higher. Schools remained closed and electricity was down in swathes of the archipelago nation’s largest island as the national disaster agency reported 25 dead and eight missing since last Friday. But those numbers did not account for three construction workers buried in a landslide as…

Javier Hernandez triggered uproar after comments in a TikTok video in which he accused women of “failing” and “eradicating masculinity”. Published Date: 2025-07-25 10:17:16 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

 President Donald Trump (R) delivers remarks alongside Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) .[AFP] President Donald Trump and US trade officials on Thursday welcomed Australia’s decision to ease restrictions on beef imported from the United States, which has been a sticking point for the US leader. “After many years Australia has agreed to accept American Beef!” Trump said on social media after threatening Canberra with tariffs on beef shipped to the United States, one of its largest red meat markets. While unveiling his “Liberation Day” tariffs in April, he singled out Australia, accusing the close ally of banning American meat while cashing…

Live Live Live Live Live Live Live Live Live Live Published Date: 2025-07-25 06:00:00 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Demonstrators gather to protest against the ongoing food shortages in the Gaza Strip at the Eindhoven Central Station in Eindhoven on July 24, 2025. [AFP] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel was still seeking a Gaza ceasefire despite recalling its negotiators and the US withdrawing, accusing Hamas of blocking an end to nearly two years of fighting. Mediators have been shuttling between Israeli and Hamas delegations in Qatar for more than two weeks but the indirect talks have so far failed to yield an elusive truce. International concern is growing about the plight of the more than two million…

US pro-wrestler Hulk Hogan is dead. [AFP] Hulk Hogan, the iconic face of professional wrestling in the 1980s who parlayed his prowess in the ring into an acting career, has died at the age of 71, US media reported Thursday. Hogan — a Hall of Fame talent known for his towering 6’7″ (two-meter) physique, bandana and distinctive blond handlebar mustache — died at his home in Florida, NBC News reported, citing his manager Chris Volo. TMZ also reported the news, citing unnamed sources and an emergency personnel dispatch call about a “cardiac arrest” at his home. Follow The Standard channel…

Alexander Isak has reportedly told Newcastle he wants to explore a move away as the club confirmed he was not part of the squad travelling to Asia for pre-season friendlies. Published Date: 2025-07-24 17:00:39 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Marcus Rashford said his new club Barcelona already “feels like home” after the Spanish champions loaned the attacker from Man United with a future purchase option. Published Date: 2025-07-24 16:55:53 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

A Palestinian woman carries a bag of aid on her head as she makes her way in the Mawasi area of Rafah on July 24, 2025.[AFP] International news agencies Agence France-Presse (AFP), Associated Press (AP) and Reuters as well as the BBC called on Israel on Thursday to allow journalists in and out of Gaza which is subject to a strict blockade. “We are desperately concerned for our journalists in Gaza, who are increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families,” the media groups said in a joint statement. They added that “journalists endure many deprivations and hardships in war…

An Iranian bus drops off Afghan refugees at Zero Point on the Islam Qala border in Herat Province.[AFP] The United Nations said Thursday that Taliban authorities were committing human rights violations, including torture and arbitrary detention, against Afghans forced to return by Iran and Pakistan. Large-scale deportation campaigns launched by Iran and Pakistan have forced millions of Afghans to return to Afghanistan, including more than 1.9 million people so far in 2025, the overwhelming majority from Iran. “People returning to the country who were at particular risk of reprisals and other human rights violations by the de facto (Taliban) authorities…

 Kiribati’s President Anote Tong answers a question during an interview at the United Nations conference on climate change.[AFP] A founding father of the Pacific climate movement on Thursday welcomed an international court’s decision on global warming but said he fears for the future of his almost 30 grandchildren on low-lying Kiribati. Kiribati, a climate-threatened archipelago that is home to some 130,000 people, sits barely two metres (6.5 feet) above sea level, has little freshwater, no rivers and limited fertile land. The International Court of Justice in The Hague declared Wednesday that states are obliged under international law to tackle climate…

The logo of the French energy company TotalEnergies can be seen on a price board for petrol and diesel at a filling station. [AFP] TotalEnergies said Thursday its net profit plunged in the second quarter despite increased output as global oil and gas prices dropped. Despite the 29 percent year-on-year drop in net profit in the second quarter to $2.7 billion, the French firm called its performance “robust”. It kept its revenue drop to 7.6 percent, to $49.6 billion, below the 10 percent fall in the price of Brent crude oil, the international benchmark. That was thanks in part to…

TotalEnergies net profit drops as oil prices fall Published Date: 2025-07-24 11:16:50 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

 HYBE, the agency behind K-pop superstars BTS.[AFP] HYBE, the agency behind K-pop superstars BTS, was raided by police on Thursday in connection with alleged fraudulent trading involving its founder Bang Si-hyuk, investigators said. “We are conducting a search and seizure at HYBE’s headquarters in Yongsan District,” Seoul police said in a brief statement. Bang, the mastermind behind BTS, is under investigation over allegations that he misled early investors to reap illicit profits from the company’s 2020 initial public offering. He is accused of gaining around 200 billion won (US$146 million) through the process, according to local reports. Follow The Standard…

 A Palestinian woman chants slogans during a demonstration in support of palestinians in Gaza facing severe shortages of food.[AFP] Hamas said on Thursday that it has responded to an Israeli proposal for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, after more than two weeks of indirect negotiations in Qatar failed to yield a truce. The Palestinian militant group said in a statement on Telegram that it has “just submitted its response and that of the Palestinian factions to the ceasefire proposal to the mediators”. A statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed it had received the response. “It…

. President Donald Trump [AFP] Europe’s new car market saw a sharp seven-percent year-on-year drop in June, with top economies Germany, France and Italy posting especially steep declines, according to automobile manufacturers’ figures published on Thursday. The continent’s car industry has laboured under an uncertain global economic outlook overshadowed by US President Donald Trump’s threats of tariffs, as well as stiff competition from China, notably on the key electric vehicles market. According to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), European sales dipped two-percent in the first half of 2025, with petrol and diesel models posting sharp 21 and 28 percent…

American transgender women will no longer be able to compete in women’s events at the Olympics and Paralympics after a recent policy change by the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee. Published Date: 2025-07-23 17:49:42 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga (right) and Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar outside the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry before their meeting in Kyiv on July 23, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. [AFP] Russia said it expected talks with Ukraine in Istanbul later Wednesday to be “difficult”, downplaying expectations of a breakthrough at a meeting between the two sides after nearly three and a half years of war. The two sides previously met in Istanbul in May and June, but managed to agree only on exchanges of prisoners and soldiers’ bodies. US President Donald Trump last week gave Russia “50…

Kenya coach Benni McCarthy said it was the right move to withdraw from pre-African Nations Championship (CHAN) football friendlies in Tanzania, citing the poor quality of the pitch. Published Date: 2025-07-23 17:25:04 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Protesters during a demonstration calling for the Ukrainian president to veto a law passed by parliament that reduces the powers of Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) in Kyiv, on July 22, 2025. [AFP] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday defended legislative changes removing the independence of two key anti-corruption bodies, sparking the first major protests in Ukraine since the start of Russia’s invasion. The bill passed on Tuesday is the latest in a series of moves criticised by Ukrainian anti-corruption activists. They warn that growing government pressure threatens Ukraine’s reforms and ambition to join…

Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) and Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz (R). [AFP] The UK imposed sanctions Wednesday on more than two dozen people, groups and suppliers from the Balkans, the Middle East and China accused of helping migrants cross the Channel. In what it called a “landmark” first use of new powers, the move came as the government faces political pressure to stem migrant arrivals on small boats from northern France, at record levels. The asset freezes and travel bans announced target individuals and entities “driving irregular migration to the UK”, and include four “gangs” and “gangland bosses” operating in…

Cameron Green of Australia hits 6 during the second Twenty20 (T20) international cricket match between West Indies and Australia at Sabina Park in Kingston. [AFP] Andre Russell struck a sparkling 36 off 15 balls in his final innings before retirement on Tuesday but could not save the West Indies from losing the second Twenty20 international against Australia in Kingston. The 37-year-old all-rounder was unable to script a fairy tale farewell to his glittering T20 career, but departed to a standing ovation on his home Sabina Park ground after hitting four trademark sixes and two fours. Batting at number seven in…

Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba explains the contents of the Japan-US tariff agreement.[AFP] China said Wednesday it will seek to “strengthen cooperation” with the United States at next week’s trade talks in Stockholm. “On the basis of equality, respect and mutual benefit… we will enhance consensus, reduce misunderstandings, strengthen cooperation and promote the stable, healthy and sustainable development of Sino-US relations,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Tuesday he would meet his Chinese counterparts in Stockholm next week for tariff talks, eyeing an extension to a mid-August deadline for levies to snap back…

Austria’s Chancellor Christian Stocker (L) and Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni .[AFP] Italy’s UniCredit posted a sharp rise in quarterly profit on Wednesday despite lower revenues, a day after it withdrew its offer for smaller rival Banco BPM due to government interference. Late Tuesday, UniCredit said it was withdrawing its bid for Italy’s third-largest bank Banco BPM, blaming restrictions on the deal imposed by the Italian government while calling it a “missed opportunity” for shareholders. The country’s second-largest bank posted net profit of 3.3 billion euros ($3.9 billion) versus 2.68 billion euros in last year’s second quarter, a nearly 25 percent…

palestinians inspect the damage, including a destroyed ambulance, around a house hit in an Israeli strike [AFP] More than 100 aid organisations warned on Wednesday that “mass starvation” was spreading in Gaza ahead of the US top envoy’s visit to Europe for talks on a possible ceasefire and an aid corridor. Israel is facing mounting international pressure over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory, where more than two million people face severe shortages of food and other essentials after 21 months of conflict, triggered by Hamas’s attack on Israel. The UN said on Tuesday that Israeli forces had…

 UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay delivers a speech to announce the United States’ request to return to the institution, at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, on June 12, 2023. [File, AFP] China has expressed regret over the United States’ decision to withdraw from the UN cultural and education agency UNESCO. “This is not the action that a responsible major country should take,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said. “China has always firmly supported the work of UNESCO,” he added. The United States said on Tuesday it would quit UNESCO, best known for establishing world heritage sites, claiming it was biased against…

New vehicles are parked at Daikoku Pier in Yokohama, south of Tokyo [AFP] Donald Trump announced on Tuesday a “massive” trade deal with Japan, marking a key breakthrough for major US trade partners as they scramble to strike agreements before the end of the month. In an attempt to slash his country’s colossal trade deficit, the US president has vowed to hit dozens of countries with punitive “reciprocal” tariffs if they do not hammer out a pact with Washington by August 1. The breakthrough makes Japan one of five countries to have signed an agreement — along with Britain, Vietnam,…

US President Donald Trump speaks to the press at the end of a reception with Republican members of Congress at the White House in Washington, DC on July 22, 2025. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) President Donald Trump sought Tuesday to distract from the growing furor over his administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal by pushing extraordinary claims that Barack Obama tried to mount a coup. The accusations, delivered in the Oval Office, followed a surprise announcement that Trump’s Department of Justice would question an imprisoned, key former assistant to Epstein. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said…

Bryan Mbeumo says he is excited to be following in Cristiano Ronaldo’s footsteps at the “biggest club in the world” after signing for Manchester United. Published Date: 2025-07-22 20:43:27 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

This photograph taken on October 12, 2017 shows the logo of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) headquarters in Paris. (Photo by JACQUES DEMARTHON / AFP) The United States on Tuesday announced it has left UNESCO, saying the UN cultural and education agency, best known for establishing world heritage sites, is biased against Israel and promotes “divisive” causes. “Continued involvement in UNESCO is not in the national interest of the United States,” the State Department spokeswoman said. The US exit was expected under President Donald Trump, who also ordered withdrawal from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and…

Palestinian children wait for a meal at a charity kitchen in the Mawasi area of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip [AFP] France’s foreign minister urged Israel on Tuesday to allow international journalists into the besieged Palestinian territory of Gaza to “bear witness” to the situation after 21 months of war. The United Nations and human rights groups say Gaza and its population of more than two million face famine-like conditions, with near-daily deaths of people queueing for food aid. “I ask that the free and independent press be allowed to access Gaza to show what is happening there…

 Palestinians mourn relatives killed in Israeli strikes [AFP] The United Nations warned Tuesday that Israel’s expanded operations in central Gaza created an “extremely high” risk of serious international law violations. It also cautioned that permanently displacing Gaza’s population would be a war crime and possibly a crime against humanity. “These Israeli airstrikes and ground operations will invariably lead to further civilian deaths and destruction of civilian infrastructure,” UN rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement. “Given the concentration of civilians in the area, and the means and methods of warfare employed by Israel until now, the risks of unlawful…

US-Hungarian commentator and writer Rod Dreher, director of the Network Project at the Danube Institute and author of ‘Live Not By Lies’.[AFP] A federal judge on Monday challenged the Trump administration’s reasons for slashing billions of dollars in federal funding to Harvard University, triggering a furious response from the president. Judge Allison Burroughs pressed the administration’s lawyer to explain how cutting grants to diverse research budgets would help protect students from alleged campus anti-Semitism, US media reported. Trump pre-emptively fired off a post on his Truth Social platform blasting Burroughs, an appointee of Democratic president Barack Obama, claiming without evidence…

Federal officers wearing face coverings lookIng at documents in a hallway outside of a courtroom.[AFP] Immigrants held at US detention centres have experienced abusive and degrading treatment, a Human Rights Watch report said Monday, in a sharp rebuke of President Donald Trump’s migrant crackdown. The 92-page report alleges medical neglect, overcrowding and “inhuman” cell conditions at a time when the Trump administration is ramping up immigration enforcement with the promise of deporting millions. “People in immigration detention are being treated as less than human,” Belkis Wille, associate crisis and conflict director at HRW, said in a statement. In one alleged…

 U.S. President Donald Trump.[AFP] The Trump administration released hundreds of thousands of pages of records on Monday about the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. despite concerns from the civil rights leader’s family. “The American people have waited nearly sixty years to see the full scope of the federal government’s investigation into Dr King’s assassination,” Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said in a statement. “We are ensuring that no stone is left unturned in our mission to deliver complete transparency on this pivotal and tragic event in our nation’s history.” Gabbard said more than 230,000 pages of documents were…

 Al-Awda hospital in the central Gaza Strip. [AFP] World Health Organization decried Israeli attacks Monday on its staff residence and its main warehouse in the central Gaza city of Deir el-Balah. “WHO’s staff residence in Deir el-Balah, Gaza, was attacked three times today as well as its main warehouse,” the UN health agency’s chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X. “Israeli military entered the premises, forcing women and children to evacuate on foot toward Al-Mawasi (in southern Gaza) amid active conflict,” he said, adding that “male staff and family members were handcuffed, stripped, interrogated on the spot and screened at…

 Third day of protest over the lack of criminal charges in the police killing of Breonna Taylor. [AFP] A US federal judge on Monday rejected an appeal for leniency by the Justice Department and sentenced an ex-police officer to 33 months in prison for violating the civil rights of a Black woman whose 2020 killing fuelled widespread protests. Brett Hankison, a former Louisville police department detective, was convicted by a jury in Kentucky in November of one count of abusing Breonna Taylor’s civil rights for shots fired during a botched police raid on her home. In an unusual intervention, Harmeet…

Demonstrators gather during an anti-government protest calling for action to secure the release of Israeli hostages. [AFP] Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli forces opened fire on crowds of Palestinians trying to collect humanitarian aid in the war-torn Palestinian territory on Sunday, killing 93 people and wounding dozens more. Eighty were killed as truckloads of aid arrived in the north, while nine others were reported shot near an aid point close to Rafah in the south, where dozens of people lost their lives just 24 hours earlier. Four were killed near another aid site in Khan Yunis, also in the…

British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell and US financier Jeffrey Epstein. [AFP] Donald Trump’s past ties with Jeffrey Epstein are under scrutiny after the US president slammed a Wall Street Journal report that he sent a lewd letter to the infamous sex offender as “fake news.” AFP looks at the pair’s relationship as the Trump administration also faces demands to release all government files on Epstein’s alleged crimes and his death. Trump, then a property mogul and self-styled playboy, appears to have known Epstein, a wealthy money manager, since the 1990s. They partied together in 1992 with NFL cheerleaders at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago…

Damaged residential building following a Russian attack in Kyiv on July 21, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[AFP] Russia fired a volley of drones and missiles at Ukraine early on Monday, hitting apartment blocks and a nursery in Kyiv, days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed holding a fresh round of peace talks. Moscow has not responded to Zelensky’s call for new negotiations this week or an ultimatum by US President Donald Trump to make progress on a peace deal or face massive sanctions. Two people were killed across the country, Zelensky said. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot arrived in…

 President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, along with the words “President Trump: Release All the Epstein Files”. [AFP] Iran has confirmed fresh talks with European powers to be held on Friday in Istanbul, the country’s state media reported, saying it was the first since the United States attacked Iranian nuclear facilities a month ago. Iranian diplomats will meet counterparts from Britain, France and Germany, known as the E3, after the trio warned that sanctions could be imposed on Tehran if it does return to the negotiating table over its nuclear programme. Western nations and Israel have long accused Iran of seeking…

Alaska airlines plane seen at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on January 11, 2023. [AFP]  Alaska Airlines has requested a ground stop for all its mainline aircraft according to an advisory notice by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), with the company citing an “IT outage.” The airline told AFP that on Sunday it “experienced an IT outage that’s impacting our operations” and that it “requested a temporary, system-wide ground stop for Alaska and Horizon Air flights until the issue is resolved.” The FAA status page showed all destinations being impacted by the ground stop of Alaska’s mainline aircraft. It…

Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.[AFP] Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba clung on Monday even after his coalition suffered what he called an “extremely regrettable” election result, as painful new US tariffs loom. In Sunday’s election Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has governed almost continuously since 1955, and its partner Komeito fell a projected three seats short of retaining a majority in the upper house. Voters angry at inflation turned to other parties, notably the “Japanese first” Sanseito, which made strong gains with its “anti-globalist” drive echoing the agenda of populist parties elsewhere. “I even think (the LDP) should have…

KM Barcelona 5 ferry after a fire broke out while on its way to Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi province.[AFP] An Indonesian ferry fire killed at least five people on Sunday, the country’s coast guard said, while more than 200 others were saved with many jumping overboard to flee the huge blaze. The KM Barcelona 5 ferry was engulfed in flames off the coast of Sulawesi island, Indonesia’s Maritime Security Agency said, just weeks after at least 19 people were killed when a ferry sank off the popular resort island of Bali. “Five people were reported dead, two of…

  Relief personnel gathered around a capsized tourist boat during a search and rescue operation in the Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh province on July 19, 2025. [AFP]  A tourist boat ferrying families around Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay capsized in a storm on Saturday afternoon, leaving at least 34 people dead, according to state media reports, as rescuers scrambled to locate the missing. The vessel was carrying 48 passengers and five crew members when it capsized in the UNESCO World Heritage site because of sudden heavy rain, the VNExpress news site said. Follow the The Standard channel on WhatsApp Most…

Manchester United have reportedly agreed to sign Cameroon winger Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford in a deal worth an initial £65 million Published Date: 2025-07-18 17:00:37 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

A devotee gives alms to Buddhist monks outside of a temple in Bangkok on July 18, 2025. [AFP] Reverence for the saffron-robed Buddhist monkhood is deeply woven into Thai society, but a sex extortion scandal has besmirched the clergy and left the devout questioning their faith. Thai police this week arrested a woman accused of bedding at least 11 monks in violation of their vows of celibacy, before blackmailing them with thousands of secretly taken photos of their trysts. The monks are said to have paid nearly $12 million, funnelled out of their monasteries funded by donations from laypeople hoping…

Wang Wentao, China’s Minister of Commerce, speaks during a press conference in Beijing on July 18, 2025. [AFP] China has a “plentiful” toolbox to avoid an economic slump in the second half of the year, its commerce minister said on Friday as he admitted it faced a “very severe and complex situation”. Growth hit 5.2 percent in the second quarter, official data showed Tuesday, but analysts have warned that more must be done to boost sluggish domestic consumption as exports face the knock-on effects of global trade turmoil. Retail sales rose far less than expected last month and were much…

Sweden’s players react at the end of the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 quarter-final football match between Sweden and England England roared into the semi-finals of Women’s Euro 2025 on Thursday after coming back from two goals down and then beating Sweden 3-2 in a chaotic penalty shoot-out to continue their title defence. Smilla Holmberg blasted over from the spot to settle the shootout drama in Zurich after the match finished 2-2 thanks to Lucy Bronze and Michelle Agyemang’s quick-fire strikes just as England looked to be limping out of the tournament. The reigning European champions were staring at elimination with…

social workers caring for babies at the Jusarang Community Church in southern Seoul.[AFP] South Korea is set to overhaul its adoption system on Saturday by ending the decades-old practice of outsourcing adoptions to private agencies, which has led to widespread allegations of abuse. South Korea, Asia’s fourth-largest economy and a global cultural powerhouse, sent more than 140,000 children overseas between 1955 and 1999. But an official enquiry concluded this year that the international adoption process had been riddled with irregularities, including “fraudulent orphan registrations, identity tampering, and inadequate vetting of adoptive parents”. The rights of South Korean children had been…

  US aviation giant Boeing on Thursday signed a contract valued at $7 billion to sell 12 787 Dreamliners, with options for six more, to Gulf Air, as the Bahrain-based carrier looks to expand its global network. The order comes just one month after an Air India Boeing 787 crashed shortly after takeoff, killing a total of 260 people on the plane and on the ground. “Once finalised, this order will bring the carrier’s firm order book to 14 of the versatile wide-body jets and will support 30,000 jobs across the US,” the companies said in a joint statement. Follow…

Chepngetich finished the Chicago Marathon in two hours, nine minutes and 56 seconds. Published Date: 2025-07-17 18:58:37 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Pope Leo XIV hopes to visit Turkey in what could be his first overseas trip as pontiff. [AFP] Pope Leo XIV confirmed Thursday he hoped to visit Turkey in the coming months for a Christian religious commemoration, in what could be his first overseas trip as pontiff. “I hope to be able to meet you again in a few months to take part in the ecumenical commemoration of the anniversary of the Council of Nicaea,” Leo said at a meeting with members of an Orthodox and Catholic pilgrimage from the United States. This year marks the 1,700th anniversary of the…

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet Meeting at the White House on July 08, 2025 in Washington, DC. [AFP] Indian-owned Jaguar Land Rover, which halted exports of its cars to the United States in April over tariffs, said Thursday it planned to cut up to 500 UK management jobs. The cuts to be carried out via voluntary redundancy total 1.5 percent of the JLR workforce in the UK, a statement said. “As part of normal business practice, we regularly offer eligible employees the opportunity to leave JLR through limited voluntary redundancy programmes,” said a company spokesperson, without linking…

Despite his age, Yamal has made over 100 appearances for the club, scoring 25 goals, and winning two La Liga titles since his debut at 15 in 2023. Published Date: 2025-07-17 13:55:48 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

 President Donald Trump speaks to reporters during a meeting with Crown Prince of Bahrain Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa in the Oval Office of the White House on July 16, 2025, in Washington, D.C.  [Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images/AFP] US President Donald Trump blasted “foolish” Republican supporters Wednesday as he went on the attack against anyone questioning his administration’s handling of the case of dead sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein. After days of struggling to brush off what he now claims is a Democratic hoax, Trump took his most combative tone yet to try and shut down the issue. “It’s all been…

Norway’s Jonas Abrahamsen won stage 11 of the Tour de France in Toulouse on Wednesday while defending champion Tadej Pogacar emerged largely unscathed despite crashing 4km from the line. Published Date: 2025-07-16 21:01:39 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

 Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a meeting with the head of the judiciary and other officials in Tehran on July 16, 2025. [AFP] Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that Israel’s attacks during last month’s 12-day war were intended to weaken the Islamic republic’s system and spark unrest to topple it. “The calculation and plan of the aggressors was to weaken the system by targeting certain figures and sensitive centres in Iran,” said Khamenei during a meeting with judiciary officials. During the meeting, excerpts of which were published in videos on his website, he said the…

The CoreCivic, Inc. California City Immigration Processing Center stands in Kern County, California City, California on July 10, 2025. [AFP] The United States deported five migrants from Asian and Caribbean countries to the small African kingdom of Eswatini, officials said Tuesday. The deported migrants are nationals of Cuba, Jamaica, Laos, Vietnam and Yemen. “These criminal illegal aliens are so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back,” the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) wrote on X. They were convicted of violent crimes such as child rape and murder, according to DHS. Follow the The Standard channel on…

Syrian security forces deploy amid ongoing clashes in the southern Sweida city on July 16, 2025. [AFP] At least 248 people have been killed in southern Syria’s Sweida province following several days of clashes that triggered the deployment of government forces, a war monitor said on Wednesday. Sporadic fighting persisted despite the Syrian defence ministry announcing a ceasefire on Tuesday after government forces entered the Druze-majority city due to deadly clashes between local fighters and Bedouin tribes. The toll includes 92 members of the Druze minority, 28 of them civilians with 21 “killed in summary executions by government forces”, according…

Thailand’s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra addresses the SPLASH – Soft Power Forum 2025 at Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre in Bangkok on July 9, 2025. [AFP] Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra testified in court on Wednesday, seeking to defend himself against royal defamation charges in a watershed case for his faltering political dynasty. Thaksin faces up to 15 years in prison if he is convicted in the closed-door trial in Bangkok, where he stands accused of breaching strict lese majeste laws that shield Thailand’s royal family from abuse and criticism. For the past quarter-century, the 75-year-old telecoms magnate…

Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy and vice president of the European Commission addresses journalists before the EU-Southern Neighbourhood Ministerial Meeting in Brussels, on July 14, 2025. [AFP] Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands on Tuesday said they wanted to participate in US President Donald Trump’s plan for Europe to buy American weapons for Ukraine. Trump announced a tougher line on Moscow over its war in Ukraine on Monday as he gave the Kremlin 50 days to end the fighting or face massive new economic sanctions. With NATO chief Mark Rutte, Trump also unveiled…

The iconic Sycamore Gap tree in the UK. [PAUL BARKER/AFPTV / Northumberland National Park / Crown Prosecution Service / Northumbria Police] Two men guilty of the “deliberate and mindless” felling of one of the UK’s most iconic trees, sparking national outrage, will find out on Tuesday if they are to be jailed. A jury at Newcastle Crown Court in May found former friends Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers guilty of criminal damage for the 2023 felling of the tree at Sycamore Gap. It had stood for nearly 200 years next to Hadrian’s Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage site in northern…

Members of Syria’s security forces look on as smoke billows during clashes between Bedouin tribes and Druze fighers in an area between Mazraa and Walga near the predominantly Druze city of Sweida on July 14, 2025.  [AFP] Syrian government forces entered the majority Druze city of Sweida on Tuesday, the interior ministry said, aiming to end clashes with Bedouin tribes that have killed nearly 100 people. The southern city had been under the control of armed factions from the Druze minority, whose religious leaders said they had approved the deployment of Damascus’s troops and called on fighters to hand over…

President Donald Trump (R) delivers remarks alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during a meeting in the Oval Office at the White House on July 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. [Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/AFP] US President Donald Trump told Russia on Monday to end its war in Ukraine within 50 days or face massive new economic sanctions, as he laid out plans for infusions of weaponry for Kyiv via NATO. Trump said he was “very, very unhappy” with Vladimir Putin, underlining his insistence that his patience had finally snapped with the Russian leader’s refusal to end the deadly conflict. “We’re going…

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Wonsan, North Korea, on July 12, 2025. [AFP] Chinese President Xi Jinping told Russia’s top diplomat on Tuesday that their countries should “strengthen mutual support”, state media said, as foreign ministers gathered in Beijing for Shanghai Cooperation Organisation talks. Meeting Sergei Lavrov in Beijing, Xi said the two countries should “strengthen mutual support on multilateral forums”, according to state news agency Xinhua. Beijing and Moscow should work to “unite countries of the global South and promote the development of the international order in a more just and…

A member of civic groups wearing a mask of US President Donald Trump performs during a protest against Trump’s tariff policy near the US embassy in Seoul on July 15, 2025. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP) The artificial intelligence industry is scrambling to reduce its massive energy consumption through better cooling systems, more efficient computer chips, and smarter programming — all while AI usage explodes worldwide. AI depends entirely on data centers, which could consume three percent of the world’s electricity by 2030, according to the International Energy Agency. That’s double what they use today. Experts at McKinsey, a…

A Boeing 737 Max aircraft during a display at the Farnborough International Airshow, in Farnborough, Britain, July 20, 2022.[FILE ] Boeing has reached a settlement with a man whose family died in a 737 MAX crash in 2019, a law firm told AFP on Friday, meaning the US aviation giant will avoid a federal trial slated for Monday. Paul Njoroge, who lost his wife and three children in the Ethiopian Airlines disaster in which 157 people died, was to seek damages from Boeing in a case in Chicago. “The case has settled for a confidential amount,” said a spokesperson for…

Emergency vaccination during outbreaks of diseases like cholera, Ebola and measles have over the past quarter-century reduced deaths from such illnesses by nearly 60 per cent, according to a new study. A similar number of infections are also believed to have been prevented, while billions of euros have been generated in estimated economic benefit. The Gavi vaccine alliance, which backed the study, said it collaborated with researchers at Burnet Institute in Australia to provide the world’s first look at the historical impact of emergency immunisation efforts on public health and global health security. “For the first time, we are able…

Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique on Friday urged his team to round off the best season in the club’s history by winning the Club World Cup. Published Date: 2025-07-12 08:35:00 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

  Screenshot of when Ovidio Guzman, son of jailed drug kingpin Joaquin “Chapo” Guzman, on October 17, 2019. [AFP] A son of Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman pleaded guilty to drug charges in Chicago on Friday in a deal struck with prosecutors in return for a reduced sentence. Nicknamed “El Raton,” or “The Mouse,” Ovidio Guzman Lopez pleaded guilty to two counts of drug conspiracy and two counts of knowingly engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise. Guzman Lopez, who took over control of a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel with three of his brothers — collectively known as…

Semenya, 34, is classed as having “differences in sexual development” but has always been legally identified as female. Published Date: 2025-07-10 17:17:53 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Norgaard scored 13 times in 196 appearances for the Bees and was crucial to establishing Brentford as a Premier League club over the past four seasons. Published Date: 2025-07-10 17:07:18 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

 Huthi-affiliated fighters carrying out an attack on the Liberia-flagged bulk carrier Magic Seas at sea.[AFP] Yemen’s Huthis had paused their Red Sea attacks on commercial ships, carried out in solidarity with Gaza, for months, before claiming two fresh assaults in recent days, one of them deadly. The Iran-backed rebels have carried out more than 100 attacks on vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since the start of their campaign in November 2023, according to the Joint Maritime Information Centre, run by a Western naval coalition. Here are the most significant attacks by the Huthis, who say they have targeted ships…

South African Caster Semenya reacts after winning in the women’s 2000m race during the France’s LNA.[AFP] When 19-year-old unknown South African Caster Semenya pulled off a stunning 800 metres final triumph at the 2009 world championships in Berlin, she could never have imagined the drama that would follow. On Thursday the latest chapter in a long running court saga came to an end when The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) said a Swiss court did not give her a fair trial in a much-awaited appeals ruling over contested gender testing. Although she declared it a “positive outcome” she added…

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) said a Swiss court did not give her a fair trial in a much-awaited appeals ruling over contested gender testing. Published Date: 2025-07-10 13:28:57 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Luka Modric confirmed in May that he would leave Madrid after the tournament in the United States, and he is set to join AC Milan next season. Published Date: 2025-07-10 13:26:30 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Former Liverpool and England midfielder Jordan Henderson is leaving Dutch giants Ajax one year before his contract was due to expire, the club has announced. Published Date: 2025-07-10 13:11:11 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet Meeting at the White House on July 08, 2025 in Washington, DC. [AFP] The halt to US foreign aid is a “ticking time bomb” that could reverse decades of hard-fought gains in the fight against AIDS, the United Nations warned Thursday. Around 31.6 million people were on antiretroviral drugs in 2024 and deaths from AIDS-related illnesses had more than halved since 2010 to 630,000 that year, the UNAIDS agency said in a new report. But now infections were likely to shoot up as funding cuts have shuttered prevention and treatment programmes, it…

   Peru’s President Dina Boluarte addresses the opening session of the third United Nations Ocean Conference.[AFP] Peru’s Congress has approved a law granting amnesty to military, police and other forces prosecuted for rights violations committed during the nation’s bloody, decades-old campaign against leftist guerrillas. The law, which still needs approval from the president, benefits uniformed personnel who were accused, are still being investigated or are being tried for crimes stemming from their participation in the state’s fight against left-wing insurgents from 1980 to 2000. On Wednesday, a congressional commission approved the bill granting amnesty to members of the armed forces,…

Real Madrid’s Spanish forward #30 Gonzalo Garcia fights for the ball with Paris Saint-Germain’s Portuguese defender #25 Nuno Mendes.[AFP] Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique savoured his team’s performance in blowing away Real Madrid on Wednesday to reach the Club World Cup final and urged them to go on and cap a historic season by claiming yet another trophy. Two goals from Fabian Ruiz either side of an Ousmane Dembele strike, as well as a late effort from substitute Goncalo Ramos, gave PSG an emphatic 4-0 semi-final victory at MetLife Stadium against a Madrid team who have just started working under…