By Rich McKay, Brendan O’Brien and Andrew Hay (Reuters) -Florida braced for the arrival of Hurricane Helene on Thursday, forecast to be a powerful Category 4 storm when it smashes into the state’s panhandle. Officials issued dire warnings, pleading with residents in coastal areas along the hurricane’s path to evacuate ahead of catastrophic winds and a potentially deadly storm surge, the wall of seawater pushed on land by hurricane-force winds, that could rise to 20 […]
North America
Elon Musk hits out at Britain after reported summit snub
By Muvija M LONDON (Reuters) – Elon Musk hit back at Britain on Thursday after reports that he had not been invited to the country’s upcoming investment summit, alleging the government was releasing convicted paedophiles while imprisoning people over social media posts. The BBC reported that the U.S. billionaire had not been invited to the summit next month after his posts on his X platform regarding the violent, racist anti-immigration riots in Britain last month. […]
Canadian detained by China says he experienced psychological torture
OTTAWA (Reuters) -A Canadian man detained by China for more than 1,000 days said he was put into solitary confinement for months and interrogated for up to nine hours every day, treatment he said amounted to psychological torture. Michael Kovrig, speaking to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp in an interview released on Monday, also said he had missed the birth of his daughter and only met her for the first time when she was two-and-a half […]
Mexico issues red alert as Hurricane John barrels toward southern coast
By Fredy Garcia PUERTO ESCONDIDO, Mexico (Reuters) -Mexico’s top disaster agency issued a red alert for parts of the country’s southern Pacific coast on Monday after Hurricane John rapidly strengthened to a Category 2 storm and threatened to get stronger before making landfall in the coming hours. The national Civil Protection agency issued its most serious warning for coastal regions of Mexico’s southern Guerrero and Oaxaca states, warning residents to seek shelter until authorities give […]
Trump says Zelenskiy wants Democrats to win US elections
By Kanishka Singh and Gram Slattery (Reuters) – Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Monday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wanted the Democrats to win the 2024 U.S. elections in which the former U.S. president faces Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump also said if he wins the election, he will call Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskiy and urge them to reach a deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war. “I think Zelenskiy is […]
California passes law to ban or restrict smartphones in school
By Daniel Trotta (Reuters) – California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law on Monday a bill that requires schools to limit or ban the use of smartphones, amid a growing consensus that excess usage can increase the risk of mental illness and impair learning. Thirteen other states this year have banned or restricted cellphones in school or recommended local educators do so, after Florida led the way by banning phones in class in 2023, according […]
Quad group expands maritime security cooperation at Biden’s farewell summit
By Trevor Hunnicutt and David Brunnstrom CLAYMONT, Delaware (Reuters) -Leaders of Australia, India, Japan and the United States expanded joint security steps in Asia’s trade-rich waters as outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden hosted counterparts from the Quad grouping established due to shared concerns about China. Biden, meeting Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese near his Delaware hometown on Saturday, stressed the importance of maintaining the […]
Biden, ‘Quad’ leaders to talk maritime security as China tensions grow
By Trevor Hunnicutt WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Tensions brewing in Asia’s trade-rich waters top the agenda as U.S. President Joe Biden welcomes leaders from Australia, India and Japan to his Delaware hometown for a diplomatic push to counter China in the waning months of his presidency. Biden headed to Wilmington, Delaware, on Friday ahead of the Quad Leaders Summit, where the leaders are expected to speak about conflict between Beijing and its neighbors in the South China […]
US FBI disrupts second Chinese hacking group, director says
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. law enforcement has disrupted a second major Chinese hacking group nicknamed “Flax Typhoon” and wrested thousands of compromised devices from its grasp, FBI Director Christopher Wray said on Wednesday. Wray, at a cybersecurity conference in Washington, said Flax Typhoon was being run by a Chinese company called the Integrity Technology Group that posed as an IT firm but also “collected intelligence and performed reconnaissance for Chinese government security agencies.” In an advisory […]
Blinken subpoenaed to appear next week before House committee over Afghanistan
(Reuters) -The U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee subpoenaed Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday to appear before it on Sept. 24 over the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. “If Secretary Blinken fails to appear, the chairman will proceed instead with a full committee markup of a report recommending the U.S. House of Representatives find Secretary Blinken in contempt of Congress for violating a duly issued subpoena,” according to a statement […]
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs pleads not guilty to sex trafficking; judge denies bail
By Luc Cohen and Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) -Sean “Diddy” Combs used his fame as one of hip-hop’s biggest names to coerce women into demeaning sexual acts as part of a long-running scheme of sex trafficking and racketeering, prosecutors said on Tuesday in bringing three criminal charges against him. Combs, 54, pleaded not guilty in Manhattan federal court hours after the 14-page indictment was unsealed. U.S. Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky denied bail for Combs, […]
Suspect in Trump assassination attempt may have lain in wait for 12 hours
By Gram Slattery and Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A man suspected of hiding for nearly 12 hours in an apparent attempt to assassinate Donald Trump at his Florida golf course was charged with two gun-related crimes on Monday, a day after authorities say he was spotted in the bushes with a rifle as the former U.S. president played nearby. The suspect never had the Republican presidential candidate for the Nov. 5 election in […]