Ireland votes on whether to allow gay marriage in a referendum that could make the country the first in the world to adopt the policy by popular vote. Yiming Woo reports.
Oil prices rallied and equities fell Friday as reports said explosions had been heard in Iran and Syria, fuelling fears of an escalation of the Middle East crisis after last weekend's missile attack on Israel by Tehran."It is now clear that the escalating shadow warfare between Israel and Iran... has finally ignited the powder keg in the Middle East, and we have moved decisively out of the shadows and into the glaring light of open conflict," said Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management.
Apple has removed Meta's WhatsApp and Threads from its App Store in China on orders from the country's internet regulator, US media reported Friday."The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) ordered the removal of these apps from the China storefront based on their national security concerns," it added, referring to China's internet regulator.
Ukraine said Friday that, for the first time since Russia's invasion, it had downed a Russian long-range bomber used to fire cruise missiles at cities across the war-battered country."For the first time, anti-aircraft missile units of the air force in cooperation with the defence intelligence of Ukraine destroyed a Tu-22M3 long-range strategic bomber," Ukraine's military said in a statement on social media.
Kenya began three days of mourning on Friday after its defence chief and nine other senior military officers were killed in a helicopter crash, the latest accident to blight the nation's military.General Francis Omondi Ogolla, the Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces (CDF), was killed when his helicopter went down shortly after takeoff in a remote area of northwestern Kenya on Thursday.
Here’s what we know so far amid fears of conflict escalating in the region.
Shoppers and workers returned to a “really quiet” Sydney mall Friday, where six days earlier an assailant stabbed six people to death and wounded more than a dozen others in an attack that police believe targeted women. Westfield Bondi Junction mall near world-famous Bondi Beach had opened Thursday, although shops inside were closed, for a “community reflection day.” New South Wales state Premier Chris Minns described it as “the first step in healing” in what has been a traumatic week for Australia’s largest city.
A former teacher in Indiana is accused of orchestrating a “Fight Club” in which he allegedly encouraged classmates to beat up a 7-year-old student with disabilities and videotaping at least one assault, according to a lawsuit filed this week.
Bitcoin enthusiasts were eagerly waiting for bitcoin's 'halving' on Friday - a change to the cryptocurrency's underlying technology designed to cut the rate at which new bitcoins are created. The halving, which happens roughly every four years, was written into Bitcoin's code at its inception by pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto as a way to reduce the rate at which bitcoins are created. Chris Gannatti, Global Head of Research at asset manager WisdomTree, which markets bitcoin exchange-traded funds, called the halving "one of the biggest events in crypto this year".
A Polish man has been charged with assisting Russia in an alleged plot to assassinate Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to authorities in Poland and Ukraine.
Asian stocks tumbled Friday, with Japan’s Nikkei slumping 2.4% on heavy selling of semiconductor-related shares and other market heavyweights. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 lost 2.4% to 37,156.54, paring losses in the early trading when it plunged 3.5%. Renesas gave up 6%, Tokyo Electron lost 8.7% and Sony Group Corp. declined 1.8%.
In remote Indian forests home to a decades-old Maoist insurgency battling government rule, few in farmer Ajay Kumaroya's village had ever dared anger the guerrillas by voting.But India has deployed tens of thousands of security personnel to crush them, and the crowd at Kumaroya's village reflects government efforts to boost infrastructure and connect villages like his to the rest of the country.
Indonesian authorities were on alert Friday for more eruptions from a remote island volcano that forced thousands to evacuate this week, as nearby residents began clearing debris after molten rocks rained down on their villages. And then it rained and rocks fell.
Explosions rocked Iran's central Isfahan province on Friday, according to state media, while US officials told American news outlets that Israel carried out a retaliatory strike on the Islamic republic.- Early Friday, Iran's Fars news agency said "three explosions" were heard near the Shekari army airbase in the northwest of Isfahan province.
DUBAI (Reuters) -Dubai's flagship airline Emirates is suspending check-in for all customers with onward connections through the city until 2359 GMT on Friday, three days after a record storm swept the United Arab Emirates. Emirates, one of the world's biggest international airlines, said customers travelling to Dubai as their final destination may check-in and travel as usual. The suspension shows the airline and its hub, Dubai International Airport, are still struggling to clear a backlog of flights after the UAE saw its heaviest rains in the 75 years records have been kept, bringing much of the country to a standstill for two days and causing significant damage.
Street vendors in Mali's capital of Bamako peddle water sachets, ubiquitous for this part of West Africa during the hottest months. This year, an unprecedented heat wave has led to a surge in deaths, experts say, warning of more scorching weather ahead as effects of climate change roil the continent. The heat wave began in late March, as many in this Muslim majority country observed the holy Islamic month of Ramadan with dawn-to-dusk fasting.
Taiwanese tycoon Morris Chang received one of the island's highest medals of honour on Friday, in recognition of his achievements as the founder of semiconductor giant TSMC. Known as the "godfather" of the island's chip industry, Chang founded Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company three decades ago, building it into a multi-billion-dollar company that today is a leader in making the microchips that power everything from smartphones to AI technology."Because of (TSMC) founder Chang, Taiwan's
Long-haul carrier Emirates said Friday it would again halt local check-in for passengers traveling on its flights as the wider United Arab Emirates tries to recover from record-setting rains this week. “This is to support operations recovery from the recent bad weather at our Dubai hub,” the airline said on the social platform X. Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest for international travel, hoped to be back on a normal schedule within 24 hours, its CEO told The Associated Press late Thursday.
The Security Council veto has triggered backlash as global divisions continue to sharpen over Israel’s war on Gaza.
The judge in Donald Trump's criminal trial will look to wrap up jury selection Friday before opening arguments start next week in a historic case being heard as the former president campaigns to win back the White House."The whole world is watching this hoax," he said, again using the case to launch his election campaign attacks on President Joe Biden, US border policy and the justice system.
Gay '30 Rock' actor Maulik Pancholy was disinvited from speaking at a middle school anti-bullying assembly in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.
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