Russian and Ukrainian attacks kill 9 people a day after deadly shopping mall drone strike by Moscow
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Authorities say that Russian and Ukrainian drone and missile strikes have killed at least nine people. Ukrainian officials said that one person died Saturday in a ballistic missile strike on Kyiv. Russia’s Defense Ministry said that the strike hit a locomotive depot. Ukrainian authorities said that four other people were killed in the Zaporizhzhia region and two in the Kyiv region. Russian authorities said that a Ukrainian drone strike killed two children in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region. The attacks came a day after a Russian drone attack on a shopping center in Kryvyi Rih killed 16 people and wounded 130 others, with nine still missing.
Iran says the world has accepted it has defeated the US, and other Middle East developments
Iran's president claims the world has accepted that Iran won its war with the United States. Iranian state media reported Friday that President Masoud Pezeshkian said the war should end since Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz and hasn't given in to U.S. demands. Meanwhile, the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria made remarks that appear to contradict the official U.S. position on the Golan Heights. In other news, French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman are expected to discuss bypassing the Strait of Hormuz during the Saudi leader’s visit to Paris starting Sunday.
US imposes 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian products. Canada says it will retaliate
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is imposing 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian products after last-ditch negotiations failed to resolve the latest strain in relations between the historic allies. Canada says it will retaliate. President Donald Trump’s import taxes are taking effect Saturday and will hit about 5% of what Canada ships to the United States every year. That covers everything from hockey sticks to tongue depressors. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says his country will match the tariffs "dollar for dollar to protect our workers and businesses.” Both sides are blaming the other for the impasse.
Wildfires expose — and detonate — buried bombs and mines from WWI and WWII
ELSENBORN, Belgium (AP) — The wildfires burning across Europe this summer have exposed a potentially deadly threat lurking beneath the blackened landscape: rusty bombs and mines from World War I and II. The explosives now threaten crews fighting the fires. Some of the weapons have exploded in the intense heat. Blasts have been reported in France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. Fires can ignite old munitions but can also burn away the scrub and brush that hides them. This wildfire season was supercharged by heavy rains in January, which spurred vegetation growth that became kindling when the summer heat arrived.
What to know about Alex Jones' Texas court win and more than $1 billion in damages he still faces
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Alex Jones won a Texas court ruling that reduced one of the defamation lawsuit judgments against him for calling the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting massacre a hoax by more than $40 million. For the bombastic conspiracy theorist, it was a rare legal victory amid multiple punishing financial verdicts that forced him to file for bankruptcy. Sandy Hook families have yet to collect a dime from Jones while he still broadcasts. But Jones still faces a defamation judgment of $1.25 billion in a Connecticut lawsuit and nearly $6 million that remains in the Texas case.
TikTok reaches $400 million settlement with US Justice Department over children's privacy
TikTok has reached a $400 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, ending a 2024 lawsuit alleging the company violated federal children’s privacy laws. The DOJ said Friday that TikTok will pay $300 million immediately and another $100 million after an order vacates an earlier consent decree against its predecessor company, Musical.ly. Since the DOJ’s lawsuit in 2024, TikTok has undergone major changes, most notably in the ownership structure of its U.S. arm. In January, the social video platform company signed agreements with major investors including Oracle, Silver Lake and the Emirati investment firm MGX to form the new TikTok U.S. joint venture.
Pope Leo praises San Marino as model of freedom and common good
SAN MARINO (AP) — Pope Leo XIV has praised San Marino as a model of political freedom and service to the common good, using a visit to the tiny republic to warn against political and economic systems that place power above human dignity. In his address to authorities Saturday, Leo said the country’s founders created a society rooted in freedom, mutual respect and community. The pope described San Marino as a “laboratory of good politics” and called for respect for human dignity “from conception to natural death,” language commonly used by the Vatican in opposing abortion and euthanasia. The visit came five years after San Marino legalized abortion in a referendum.
Congo receives more than 16,000 doses of Ebola vaccine as it grapples with unprecedented outbreak
BUNIA, Congo (AP) — Congo has received more than 16,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine as the country grapples with the fastest Ebola outbreak in history, the country’s health minister said. The 16,250 doses arrived at the N’djili International Airport in the capital, Kinshasa, late Friday night, as part of 70,000 doses expected from the World Health Organization and partners. The Ervebo vaccine has been used in the past to treat other Ebola viruses. WHO said it may provide some protection against the rare Bundibugyo virus.
Somali pirates hijack oil tanker off Yemen in latest attack
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Somali pirates have hijacked an oil tanker off Yemen, marking a resurgence in piracy. A Somali maritime security official says six armed pirates seized the Eritrean-flagged M.T. Sibu 1 on Thursday. The tanker, managed by a UAE-based company, was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury last year. It had 20 crew members aboard. This incident follows the hijacking of the Lutuf, a Cameroon-flagged vessel, three days earlier. The Sibu 1 is the sixth commercial vessel hijacked by Somali pirates since April. Puntland’s Security Ministry says forces beyond its control are behind the renewed piracy.
Former Hong Kong vigil organizer strives to mark Tiananmen crackdown despite convictions
HONG KONG (AP) — Years after Hong Kong’s annual vigil for the Tiananmen Square crackdown ended, former organizer Tang Ngok-kwan still discreetly visits former memorial sites in the city. Overt public commemorations have become risky under a crackdown that started following the imposition of a national security law in 2020. Two of Tang’s former colleagues were convicted Friday of inciting subversion under the law and face up to 10 years in prison. Observers say their convictions reflect the decline in the city’s freedoms. Tang says he wasn't convinced by the verdict and continues to remember the crackdown in his own quiet ways.
