Washington (AFP) – Humanity’s view of the distant cosmos will never be the same. The James Webb Space Telescope, the most powerful to be placed in orbit, has revealed the clearest image to date of the early universe, going back 13 billion years, US spa…
Pregnant Texas driver argues fetus is passenger after carpool fine
Los Angeles (AFP) – A pregnant woman in Texas who was fined for driving solo in a carpool lane said her fetus must be counted as a passenger in the wake of strict new abortion laws. Brandy Bottone, 32 years old and 34 weeks pregnant, has vowed to go to…
Kyiv warns Russia will step up Donbas fight
Kramatorsk (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukraine warned Monday that Russian forces were preparing to intensify their fight for key cities in the Donbas, as President Volodymyr Zelensky bitterly accused Canada of undermining sanctions against Moscow. In eastern Ukr…
Cuba protest crackdown created human rights crisis: HRW
New York (AFP) – Cuba’s government committed “systematic human rights violations” in response to last summer’s unprecedented anti-government protests, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report Monday. The report, published on the first anniversary of t…
US hostage negotiator Richardson to seek Griner’s release
Washington (AFP) – The families of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan have asked veteran US hostage negotiator Bill Richardson to seek their release from Russia, his office said Monday. According to news reports, the former US governor and ambassador, who…
US firefighters race to protect Yosemite’s giant sequoias
Yosemite National Park (United States) (AFP) – Hundreds of firefighters scrambled Monday to prevent a wildfire engulfing an area of rare giant sequoia trees in California’s Yosemite National Park. The Washburn fire, in the world-renowned Mariposa Grove…
Pharma company seeks to make its birth control over-the-counter in US
Washington (AFP) – In a first, a pharmaceutical company applied Monday for US approval to make its birth control pill available over-the-counter, weeks after the US Supreme Court overturned a federal right to abortion care. HRA Pharma, a subsidiary of …
Twitter stock falls as Musk mocks lawsuit threat
New York (AFP) – Twitter shares tumbled Monday as Elon Musk issued a mocking, defiant commentary about a looming court battle after he ditched a $44 billion buyout of the social media giant. About 60 minutes into trading Monday, Twitter shares sank 7.0…
Russian shelling in east Ukraine kills at least 15
Chasiv Yar (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian rescuers were hoping Monday to find survivors under the rubble of an apartment building hit by a Russian missile strike which killed at least 15 people, as Moscow’s forces seek to consolidate their control over th…
Relief, disappointment as Musk abandons Twitter deal
Washington (AFP) – Elon Musk’s move to abandon his purchase of Twitter has been greeted with a mix of relief and disappointment across the political spectrum, with many criticizing the Tesla founder but others applauding his “exposure” of the influenti…