World

Israel, Saudi normalization a long way off, Biden says

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Israel and Saudi Arabia are a long way from a normalization agreement that would involve a defense treaty and a civilian nuclear program from the United States, U.S. President Joe Biden said in a CNN interview broadcast Sunday. U.S. officials have been negotiating in a bid to reach an elusive normalization deal between the two countries. "We're a long way from there. We got a lot to talk about," Biden said in an interview with "Fareed Zakaria's GPS." Israel's energy minister voiced opposition last month to the idea of Saudi Arabia developing a civilian nuclear program as...

France imposes national fireworks ban ahead of Bastille Day

The French authorities have moved to ban the sale, possession and transport of fireworks ahead of the July 14 national holiday on Friday, following serious recent unrest in response to the police shooting of a youth. The ban, imposed on Sunday, is set to apply up to Saturday, the day after Bastille Day. It excludes the organizers of the professional displays traditionally staged to mark the day in many French cities. "Representatives and residents that I have met around the country are in fact rather nervous regarding the national holiday and possible renewed incidents," Prime Minister Élisabe...

Spain's People's Party could win absolute majority with Vox: poll

MADRID (Reuters) - Two weeks ahead of Spain's election, the conservative People's Party (PP) opened up its lead over the ruling Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) but would still need the help of the far-right Vox party to govern, according to an opinion poll published by a newspaper on Sunday. A poll carried out by Ipsos for La Vanguardia newspaper between July 3 and July 6 interviewed 2,000 people and showed the opposition PP with 35% of the votes and the PSOE on 28%. The far-left Sumar party would win 13%, just ahead of Vox with 12.6%, the poll found ahead of the election on July 23. Voting fo...

Russia calls on NATO to discuss Ukraine nuclear plant at summit

(Reuters) - Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Sunday that the leaders of the U.S.-led transatlantic NATO defence alliance should discuss Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant at their summit this week. NATO leaders will meet in Vilnius on July 11-12 to tackle a wide range of topics, from divisions over Ukraine's membership bid and Sweden's accession to boosting ammunitions stockpiles and reviewing the first defence plans in decades. Accusing Ukraine of "systematic infliction of damage" to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Zakharova said that "the NATO summit's key atte...

Campus diversity will be a struggle without race-based admissions, history shows

States that have tried to enroll more Black and Hispanic students in state universities without using race-based admissions policies have seen the numbers of those students slip — especially at elite institutions. Nine states had affirmative action bans before last month’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking it down nationwide. Those states and others have tried various strategies to maintain diversity without using race-based admissions. They include costly recruitment drives, guaranteed admission to high-ranking high school students and the elimination of preferences for relatives of alumni. ...

Israeli protests reignite as Netanyahu pushes new justice bill

By Rami Amichay TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Israel's business hub Tel Aviv saw the biggest anti-government protest in weeks on Saturday against a renewed push by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-right coalition to overhaul the justice system. Tens of thousands demonstrated across the country, with the rally in Tel Aviv drawing crowds far larger than recent protests, news channels N12 News and Channel 13 reported. Nationwide demonstrations began in January when the government announced a plan to overhaul the judiciary with a legislation package that would roll back some Supreme Court powers an...

Authorities arrest US citizen in one of three serial killings of Tijuana sex workers

Federal law enforcement agents in the U.S. have arrested a Los Angeles County man wanted by Mexican authorities in connection with the killing of a Tijuana sex worker and possibly two others, according to officials in both countries. Bryant Rivera, a 30-year-old Downey resident, is charged in Baja California with at least one count of femicide and was the subject of an arrest warrant issued by a Mexican judge in November, according to a complaint filed by federal prosecutors in Los Angeles. Baja California's attorney general described Rivera as a suspected "serial killer" and said in a news re...

Lord’s Prayer is ‘problematic’ due to ‘oppressively patriarchal’ reference, says Church of England leader

The language in the Lord’s Prayer might be “problematic” for some people, the archbishop of York said Friday during his address to a meeting of the Church of England’s ruling body. The Most Rev. Stephen Cottrell, the archbishop of York, was specifically referring to the words “Our Father,” which opens the prayer that Jesus taught when his disciples asked him how they should pray. “I know the word ‘father’ is problematic for those whose experience of earthly fathers has been destructive and abusive, and for all of us who have labored rather too much from an oppressively patriarchal grip on life...

Israeli protests reignite as Netanyahu pushes new justice bill

Hundreds defy Paris protest ban a week after riots

Hundreds of protesters defied a ban on Saturday to march in central Paris against police violence, a week after riots sparked by the killing of a teenager in a Parisian suburb.

Police dispersed the crowd from Paris's huge Place de la Republique, sending several hundred people towards the wide Boulevard Magenta, where they were seen marching peacefully. The Paris police department said in a decision published on its website that it had banned the planned demonstration, citing a "context of tensions".

Police tell Berlin ravers to keep clothes on at mass techno parade

Berlin police asked party-goers to keep their clothes on while attending the city's huge annual techno parade, which kicked off on Saturday afternoon.

Amid sweltering temperatures topping 30 degrees Celcius, some ravers at Berlin's "Rave the Planet" parade apparently got too hot and shed clothing. "A request we didn't think we'd have to make either: Please do not disrobe," wrote Berlin police on Twitter.

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Poland moves troops to eastern border amid Wagner fears

WARSAW — Poland began moving over 1,000 troops to the east of the country on Saturday, the defense minister said, amid rising concern in the NATO-member that the presence of Wagner Group fighters in Belarus could lead to increased tension on its border.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to offer mercenary fighters of Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner group the choice of relocating to Belarus has led to fears among eastern NATO members that their presence will cause greater instability in the region.

Canada opposes use of cluster bombs that U.S. is sending to Ukraine

OTTAWA — Canada is against the use of cluster munitions that Washington has promised to give Ukraine for its counteroffensive against occupying Russian forces, Ottawa said on Saturday, reiterating a commitment to the Oslo agreement that bans the controversial weapon.

The U.S. said on Friday that it would supply Kyiv with the widely banned bombs as part of a new $800 million security package that brings total U.S. military aid to more than $40 billion since Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.