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Trump targets US 'sanctuary cities' in migrant crackdown
WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday to crack down on "sanctuary cities" that defy his hardline immigration policies, as the US president closes in on his first 100 days back in office. The Republican has claimed major progress in honoring his election campaign promises to stem illegal border crossings from Mexico, which soared to all-time highs under his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden. The order directs officials to publish within 30 days a list of states and loca
April 29, 2025 -
US probes Harvard and its law review for 'race-based discrimination'
BOSTON (Reuters) -- United States President Donald Trump's administration on Monday said it was probing whether Harvard University and the Harvard Law Review violated civil rights laws when the journal's editors fast-tracked consideration of an article written by a member of a racial minority. News of the new probe came hours after a federal judge agreed to expedite Harvard University's lawsuit seeking to block the Trump administration from freezing $2.3 billion in federal grant funding that the
April 29, 2025 -
4 Hong Kong activists released after years in prison under Beijing-imposed law
HONG KONG (AP) — Four former Hong Kong lawmakers were freed from prison on Tuesday, having served more than four years for their conviction under a Beijing-imposed law that crushed a once-thriving pro-democracy movement. Claudia Mo, Jeremy Tam, Kwok Ka-ki and Gary Fan were among 47 activists arrested in 2021 for their roles in an unofficial primary election. They were the first of the convicted activists to reunite with their families and friends following years of separation. Only vehicles invo
April 29, 2025 -
Prince William and Kate mark wedding anniversary in Scotland
LONDON (AFP) — Prince William and wife Catherine will celebrate their 14th wedding anniversary on the Scottish island of Mull on Tuesday, the latest step on the princess's road to recovery from cancer. Catherine, Princess of Wales, revealed in January she was "in remission," having announced last March she had been diagnosed with an unspecified form of the disease and was undergoing chemotherapy. She has since returned to frontline public duties, but with a slimmed-down schedule and shorter enga
April 29, 2025 -
Trump to reduce impact of auto tariffs, Commerce secretary says
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- President Donald Trump's administration planned to move to reduce the impact of his automotive tariffs on Tuesday by alleviating some duties imposed on foreign parts in domestically manufactured cars and keeping tariffs on cars made abroad from piling on top of other ones, officials said. "President Trump is building an important partnership with both the domestic automakers and our great American workers," Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in a statement from the Wh
April 29, 2025 -
Conclave to elect a new pope will start on May 7
VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Catholic cardinals on Monday set May 7 as the start date for the conclave to elect Pope Francis' successor, delaying the secret voting for two days to help them get to know one another better and find consensus on a candidate before they are sequestered in the Sistine Chapel. The cardinals set the date after arriving for the first day of informal meetings following Pope Francis’ funeral Saturday. In a chaotic scene, journalists shouted out questions to the cardinals about th
April 28, 2025 -
Conflicts spur 'unprecedented' rise in military spending: SIPRI
STOCKHOLM (AFP) -- Worldwide military expenditure saw its steepest rise in 2024 since the end of the Cold War, reaching $2.7 trillion as wars and rising tensions drove up spending, researchers said Monday. Military spending rose worldwide with particularly large increases in Europe and the Middle East, according to a new report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Several European countries had seen "unprecedented" rises in their military spending, the report noted. In real t
April 28, 2025 -
Napoleon letter denying he ordered pope kidnapping sold at auction
PARIS (AFP) — A hand-written letter from Napoleon denying his role in the kidnapping of Pope Pius VII in 1809 was sold at auction on Sunday outside Paris for 26,360 euros ($30,000), the auctioneer said. The letter, signed "Napole," went on sale the day after the funeral of Pope Francis, who died on Monday. The sale price was way above the estimate of 12,000-15,000 euros, according to the Osenat auction house. The auction's location in Fontainebleau, south of Paris, was highly symbolic as the tow
April 28, 2025 -
Suspect in Kardashian jewel heist case plans to take responsibility for his role at Paris trial
PARIS (AP) — One of the suspects in the armed robbery of Kim Kardashian said he plans to take responsibility for his role in the 2016 high-profile heist and will apologize in court as the trial begins Monday in Paris. Yunice Abbas, 71, who has publicly acknowledged his participation in the heist, is among 10 suspects facing charges including armed robbery and kidnapping. "I will apologize," Abbas told The Associated Press. "I mean it sincerely." Kardashian, 44, is expected to testify in person a
April 28, 2025 -
Bloody fingers are just part of the game in this traditional German sport
PANG, Germany (AP) — Men in short leather pants and embroidered suspenders risked dislocated digits Sunday as they vied for the top prize at Germany's championship in the sport of "fingerhakeln," or finger wrestling. Around 180 competitors took part in Sunday's 64th German championship in Pang, about an hour's drive southwest of Munich. It's thought that finger wrestling, popular in Germany's Alpine region and neighboring Austria, originated as a way to settle disputes. The earliest depictions o
April 28, 2025 -
Ukrainians 'won't' accept surrender of Crimea
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A peace proposal by the Trump administration that includes recognizing Russian authority over Crimea shocked Ukrainian officials, who say they will not accept any formal surrender of the peninsula, even though they expect to concede the territory to the Kremlin, at least temporarily. Giving up the land that was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014 is also politically and legally impossible, according to experts. It would require a change to the Ukrainian constitution and a na
April 28, 2025 -
Car plows through Vancouver Filipino festival, killing at least 11
At least 11 people aged between 5 and 65 were killed and dozens injured when a man with a history of mental health issues rammed an SUV through a crowd at a Filipino community festival in the western Canadian city of Vancouver, police said on Sunday. Police arrested a 30-year-old Vancouver man at the scene of the incident on Saturday evening, describing him as having had a "significant history" of interactions with authorities involving mental health. They said there was no evidence of terrorism
April 28, 2025 -
Where Japanese women stand 40 years after Equal Employment Opportunity Law
TOKYO (Japan News/ANN) — It has been 40 years since the Equal Employment Opportunity Law was enacted. Since the enactment of the law, which was the fist step to eliminate gender discrimination in job opportunities, efforts have been made to promote the development of an environment in which women can work comfortably. The way women are perceived — from powerful to sweet — has been reflected in economic and social developments up to the present day. Career-track positions The law was enacted in 1
April 28, 2025 -
Sweet tradition: Cambodian farmer’s dedication to pure palm sugar
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (ANN/Phnom Penh Post) — Before the sun peeks over the horizon in Siem Reap province's Rumchek commune, in Banteay Srei district, Chhat Chhoeum is already high atop one of the palm trees that dot the land. It's not yet 5 a.m., and the farmer is on a mission, one he's pursued for two decades: to harvest the sweet, golden juice that becomes pure, natural palm sugar. With several containers slung from his belt, Chhoeum — who is in his early 50s — climbs around 30 trees each morn
April 28, 2025 -
Preserving Tibet's Potala Palace
LHASA, Tibet (China Daily/ANN) — Perched on crimson shoulders, Potala ascends a celestial stairway. Alabaster walls cradle golden roofs. Ancient stones murmur mantras, corridors breathe incense. Shadows dance with prayer flags, weaving time into silk. A sacred place in pilgrims' hearts, it guards the soul of this snowy plateau stretching vastly across western China. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Potala Palace in the heart of Lhasa, capital of the Xizang autonomous region, is one of the mo
April 28, 2025