South Africa under scrutiny for Russian vessel as ruling ANC says it would ‘welcome’ Putin

South Africa under scrutiny for Russian vessel as ruling ANC says it would ‘welcome’ Putin

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — The South African government was coming under more pressure Wednesday for refusing to release cargo documents relating to a visit to a Russian ship that the United States says collected cargo weapons for Moscow. Separately, a senior member of South Africa’s ruling party added to the scrutiny of the … Read more

Elon Musk wants to build a digital public square. But his debut for DeSantis was a technical failure.

Elon Musk wants to build a digital public square.  But his debut for DeSantis was a technical failure.

Elon Musk wants to turn Twitter into a “digital town square,” but his high-profile Twitter Spaces launch event, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announcing his candidacy for the presidency, struggled with technical problems and a nearly half-hour delay on Tuesday. The billionaire Twitter owner said the problems were due to “strained” servers because so many … Read more

Russian private army chief Wagner says more than 20,000 of his soldiers died in the Battle of Bakhmut

Russian private army chief Wagner says more than 20,000 of his soldiers died in the Battle of Bakhmut

KYIV, Ukraine — Russian private army chief Wagner has again broken the Kremlin line on Ukraine, saying his aim to demilitarize the country has backfired, acknowledging that Russian troops have killed civilians and agreeing with Western estimates that he lost over 20,000 men in the Battle of Bakhmut. Yevgeny Prigozhin said around half of those … Read more

McCarthy sends Republican debt limit negotiators to White House, but parties are ‘far apart’

McCarthy sends Republican debt limit negotiators to White House, but parties are ‘far apart’

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Wednesday he would send Republican negotiators to the White House to complete the debt limit talks, but warned the two sides are “still far apart” as they try to reach a budget deal with President Joe Biden. McCarthy said he remained optimistic that progress could be made … Read more

Russian private army chief Wagner says more than 20,000 of his soldiers died in the Battle of Bakhmut

Russian private army chief Wagner says more than 20,000 of his soldiers died in the Battle of Bakhmut

KYIV, Ukraine – Russian private army chief Wagner said his forces lost more than 20,000 men in the long-running battle of Bakhmut, about half of those who died in the eastern town of Ukraine being Russian convicts recruited to fight in the 15 Month War. That figure stands in stark contrast to Moscow’s widely disputed … Read more

Russian private army chief Wagner says more than 20,000 of his soldiers died in the Battle of Bakhmut

Russian private army chief Wagner says more than 20,000 of his soldiers died in the Battle of Bakhmut

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian private army chief Wagner says his forces lost more than 20,000 fighters in the long battle for Bakhmutwith about 20% of the 50,000 Russian convicts he recruited to fight in the 15-month war dying in the city in eastern Ukraine. The figure contrasts sharply with widely disputed claims by Moscow … Read more

France bans short-haul domestic flights

France bans short-haul domestic flights

The law essentially prohibits public domestic flights between French destinations when a train journey of less than 2 hours and 30 minutes is available. The World Wide Fund for Nature describes aviation’s environmental footprint as “one of the fastest growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions driving global climate change”. A plane in the sky of … Read more

Teen charged with deliberately crashing U-Haul truck into guardrail in park near White House

Teen charged with deliberately crashing U-Haul truck into guardrail in park near White House

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Missouri man rented a U-Haul truck Monday night and then crashed it into a security fence across from the White House hours later, authorities said Tuesday. The truck driver crashed into the barrier near the north side of Lafayette Square around 10 p.m. Monday, the Secret Service said in a statement. … Read more

Russia battles suspected Ukraine incursion for second day, reports new drone attacks

Russia battles suspected Ukraine incursion for second day, reports new drone attacks

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian troops and security forces battled for a second day on Tuesday against an alleged cross-border raid that Moscow blamed on Ukrainian military saboteurs but Kiev described as an uprising against the Kremlin by partisans Russians. Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the Belgorod region on the Ukrainian border, said forces continued to … Read more

Drag show restaurant files federal lawsuit against Florida and Governor DeSantis

Drag show restaurant files federal lawsuit against Florida and Governor DeSantis

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A popular Orlando restaurant that regularly hosts drag shows has filed a federal lawsuit against the state of Florida and Governor Ron DeSantis Monday, less than a week after signing a bill that targets drag performances. The lawsuit filed in federal court in Orlando by the owner of Hamburger Mary’s Orlando … Read more