Alan Gross Arrives Back in US After Release From Cuban Prison

Reuters
Israeli assault on Rafah would bring 'disaster' to Middle East, aid group warns
An Israeli assault on southern Gaza's Rafah area would spell disaster for civilians, not only in Gaza but across the Middle East, the head of an aid group warned on Friday, saying the region faced a "countdown to an even bigger conflict". Jan Egeland, the Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, told Reuters that 1.3 million civilians seeking refuge in Rafah - including his aid group's staff - were living in "indescribable fear" of an Israeli offensive.
8m ago
Yahoo Finance
Microsoft beats Q3 top and bottom lines on cloud strength
Microsoft reported better than anticipated Q3 earnings on Thursday, powered by growth in its cloud products.
13m ago
Associated Press
Ukraine pushes to get military-age men to come home. Some neighboring countries say they will help
Ukraine’s foreign minister doubled down Friday on the government’s move to bolster the pool of fighting forces by cutting off consular services to conscription-age men outside the country, saying it was a question of "justice.” Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the policy would ensure men in Ukraine and those who have left were both treated fairly. “It’s about justice -- justice in the relationship between Ukrainian men abroad and Ukrainian men inside of Ukraine,” he said.
14m ago
Yahoo News
Trump trial live updates: Defense resumes cross-examination of David Pecker in hush money case
The former president’s criminal hush money is set to resume in Manhattan Friday when former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker returns to the witness stand to face cross-examination by the defense.
17m ago
Associated Press
Andrew Tate's trial on charges of rape and human trafficking can start, a Romanian court rules
A court in Romania’s capital on Friday ruled that a trial can start in the case of influencer Andrew Tate, who is charged with human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women. The Bucharest Tribunal ruled that prosecutors’ case file against Tate met the legal criteria but did not set a date for the trial to begin. Tate’s spokesperson, Mateea Petrescu, said the ruling will be appealed.
19m ago
AFP
Portable missiles proliferating in Mideast, N.Africa: report
Armed groups in the Middle East and North Africa have little difficulty getting their hands on portable surface-to-air missiles despite a campaign to prevent their proliferation, according to a report published Friday.Shoulder-fired missiles -- also known as man-portable air-defence systems, or MANPADS -- in the hands of militants are seen as a threat because of their ability to target military aircraft, but also passenger planes.
21m ago
Reuters
Ceasefire monitoring centre in Nagorno-Karabakh shuts as Russian peacekeepers withdraw
The Russian and Turkish flags were lowered on Friday to mark the closure of a centre set up to monitor a ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh, as Russian peacekeepers ended a multi-year deployment in the strategic South Caucasus region. Nearly 2,000 Russian peacekeeping troops were dispatched to the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh in November 2020 under a Moscow-brokered deal that halted six weeks of fighting between Azerbaijani and ethnic Armenian forces. Despite the deployment, Azerbaijan retook Karabakh by force in September last year, a move which triggered an exodus of at least 100,000 ethnic Armenians living there and the arrest of the breakaway area's ethnic Armenian leaders.
21m ago
NBC News
FDA approves Pfizer’s first gene therapy for rare inherited bleeding disorder
The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved Pfizer’s treatment for a rare genetic bleeding disorder, making it the company’s first-ever gene therapy to win clearance in the U.S.
23m ago
Yahoo Finance
Stock market today: Stocks jump, fueled by stellar Alphabet, Microsoft earnings
Stellar earnings from the 'Magnificent Seven' duo have reignited optimism for a rally, but the PCE inflation print could put a spoke in the wheel.
27m ago
Reuters
WTO countries to reboot dispute reform negotiations
Countries in the World Trade Organization are resuming stalled negotiations on fixing its dispute settlement system by the end of this year, a document showed on Friday, after they overcame difficulties in choosing a chief negotiator. Ambassador Usha Dwarka-Canabady from Mauritius, a career diplomat, was announced as chief negotiator this month after at least three other ambassadors turned the role down, trade sources said. The previous facilitator, Marco Molina from Guatemala, was abruptly dismissed by his government in February despite widespread praise for his approach which, unlike other WTO talks, sought to reduce haggling by encouraging co-authorship of new rules.
31m ago
NBC News
China warns U.S. of 'downward spiral' as Antony Blinken meets with Xi Jinping
Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Friday as he wrapped up a three-day visit to China.
36m ago
Associated Press
Polish and Lithuanian leaders oversee military drills along their shared border
Polish President Andrzej Duda said Friday that “a potential aggressor must see our readiness" as he and his Lithuanian counterpart monitored a joint military drill along their shared border. Duda and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda met on the last day of the week-long Brave Griffin 24/II military exercise along the Suwalki Gap, a strategically important stretch of land that's considered a potential flashpoint area in case of a standoff between Russia and NATO.
38m ago
The Conversation
How the pretzel went from soft to hard – and other little-known facts about one of the world’s favorite snacks
Why are they shiny? And how did Pennsylvania become the pretzel capital of the world?
47m ago
Reuters
Supporters of Spain's Sanchez call rallies, leftists abroad urge him to stay
Supporters of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez prepared on Friday to hold rallies to urge him to stay on after he announced this week he was considering stepping down as a court looks into allegations of business corruption made against his wife. Local branches of the Socialist party (PSOE) organized buses to bring supporters to a rally backing the prime minister planned for Saturday morning in Madrid. Sanchez, 52, surprised both foes and allies when he said on Wednesday he was taking several days away from public duty to consider quitting.
49m ago
AFP
Funny old world: The week's offbeat news
From a man who really makes his own beer to the Japanese bears given paws for thought... your weekly roundup of offbeat stories from around the world.- Paws for thought - A pair of bears picked the wrong Japanese tourists to mess with when they jumped out of the bushes as Masato Fukuda was hiking to see a waterfall in the northern island of Hokkaido.
1h ago
Reuters
US FDA says about 1 in 5 commercial milk samples tested positive for bird flu traces
The FDA said late Thursday that additional testing is required to determine whether the intact pathogen is still present and if it remains infectious. Eight states in the U.S. have confirmed cases of bird flu in dairy cattle, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Only one person - a Texas farm worker - has been one confirmed to have bird flu.
1h ago
Reuters
Blinken says Gaza protests a hallmark of democracy, decries 'silence' on Hamas
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday protests at U.S. universities over U.S.-ally Israel's war in Gaza are a hallmark of American democracy, but criticized what he called the "silence" about Palestinian militant group Hamas. Police have clashed with students critical of the war and the Biden administration's support for Israel's war in Gaza, with nearly 550 arrests made over the protests in the last week across major U.S. universities, according to a Reuters tally. Asked at a press conference in China whether he was taking on board the protesters' message, Blinken said he understood the conflict elicited "strong, passionate feelings" and that the administration was doing it all it could to halt the war.
1h ago
AFP
French barber still trimming at 90
French barber Roger Amilhastre, 90, could have hung up his clippers decades ago but he said his passion for hair gives him a reason to get up in the morning.France's national hairdressers' union believes Amilhastre may be France's oldest active barber.
1h ago
Associated Press
Paris has a new king of the crusty baguette with the 31st winner of its annual bread-baking prize.
Paris has a new king of the crusty baguette. Baker Xavier Netry was chosen this week as the 31st winner of Paris' annual “Grand Prix de la baguette” prize. The jury included a deputy mayor, industry representatives, journalists and six Parisians that City Hall said were drawn at random.
1h ago
Reuters
US inflation rises in line with expectations; consumer spending strong
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. monthly inflation rose moderately in March, but stubbornly higher housing and transportation costs suggested the Federal Reserve could keep interest rates elevated for a while. The report from the Commerce Department on Friday, which also showed strong consumer spending last month, offered some relief to financial markets spooked by worries of stagflation after data on Thursday showed inflation surging and economic growth slowing in the first quarter. "Markets should breathe a sigh of relief this morning," said Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer at Independent Advisor Alliance.
1h ago

Supreme Court appears split over Trump immunity claims; 'Challengers' hits theaters — and more

Alan Gross Arrives Back in US After Release From Cuban Prison

Latest Stories

Israeli assault on Rafah would bring 'disaster' to Middle East, aid group warns

Microsoft beats Q3 top and bottom lines on cloud strength

Ukraine pushes to get military-age men to come home. Some neighboring countries say they will help

Trump trial live updates: Defense resumes cross-examination of David Pecker in hush money case

Andrew Tate's trial on charges of rape and human trafficking can start, a Romanian court rules

Portable missiles proliferating in Mideast, N.Africa: report

Ceasefire monitoring centre in Nagorno-Karabakh shuts as Russian peacekeepers withdraw

FDA approves Pfizer’s first gene therapy for rare inherited bleeding disorder

Stock market today: Stocks jump, fueled by stellar Alphabet, Microsoft earnings

WTO countries to reboot dispute reform negotiations

China warns U.S. of 'downward spiral' as Antony Blinken meets with Xi Jinping

Polish and Lithuanian leaders oversee military drills along their shared border

How the pretzel went from soft to hard – and other little-known facts about one of the world’s favorite snacks

Supporters of Spain's Sanchez call rallies, leftists abroad urge him to stay

Funny old world: The week's offbeat news

US FDA says about 1 in 5 commercial milk samples tested positive for bird flu traces

Blinken says Gaza protests a hallmark of democracy, decries 'silence' on Hamas

French barber still trimming at 90

Paris has a new king of the crusty baguette with the 31st winner of its annual bread-baking prize.

US inflation rises in line with expectations; consumer spending strong