Ethnic groups promote heritage during Oaxaca’s cultural festival
OAXACA, México — Leticia Santiago carries her ancestral heritage wherever she goes. Every time she addresses the crowds during the Guelaguetza, the biggest cultural event in southwestern Mexico, her words, her garments and her skin reveal a clue about the town where she was proudly born.
Taliban orders beauty salons in Afghanistan to close
ISLAMABAD — The Taliban announced Tuesday that all beauty salons in Afghanistan must now close as a one-month deadline ended, despite rare public opposition to the edict.
Biden administration sues Texas governor over buoy barrier
AUSTIN, Texas — The Justice Department on Monday sued Texas Gov. Greg Abbott over a newly installed floating barrier on the Rio Grande that is the Republican’s latest aggressive tactic to try to stop migrants from crossing into the U.S. from Mexico.
Justice Department to make Hunter Biden prosecutor available to testify
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The lead prosecutor in the case against President Joe Biden’s son Hunter says he is willing to testify publicly this fall, setting up a clash with House Republicans who have demanded he come in soon for a closed-door interview.
U.S. to send $400 million in military aid to Ukraine
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Biden administration is sending up to $400 million in additional military aid to Ukraine, including a variety of munitions for advanced air defense systems and a number of small, surveillance Hornet drones, U.S. officials said Monday, as attacks in the war escalated to include strikes in Moscow and Crimea.
Elon Musk reveals new ‘X’ logo to replace Twitter’s blue bird
Elon Musk has unveiled a new “X” logo to replace Twitter’s famous blue bird as he follows through with a major rebranding of the social media platform he bought for $44 billion last year.
Traps set for grizzly bear after fatal attack near Yellowstone
BILLINGS, Montana — Wildlife workers put out bear traps for a third night Monday as they try to capture a grizzly bear that killed a woman who was traveling alone on a forest trail near Yellowstone National Park.
U.N. chief urges Russia to revive Ukraine grain deal
ROME — The U.N. chief on Monday urged Russia to resume the internationally brokered deal so that grain can be shipped from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, saying that otherwise, the world’s most vulnerable among the hungry will suffer the worst consequences.
U.S. submarine arrives in South Korea; North Korea fires missiles
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into its eastern sea, South Korea’s military said Tuesday, adding to a recent streak in weapons testing that is apparently in protest of the U.S. sending major naval assets to South Korea in a show of force.
U.S. announces punitive measures over Cambodia’s elections
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Cambodia’s longtime ruling party on Monday lauded its landslide victory in weekend elections as a clear mandate for the next five years. The United States said the party’s stifling of the opposition meant the vote could not be considered free or fair and that Washington was taking punitive measures.
U.S., donors demand independent U.N. Syria aid operation
UNITED NATIONS — The United States said Monday it has joined major donors in demanding that the United Nations be able to deliver aid through a key crossing from Turkey to Syria’s rebel-held northwest independently and to everyone in need.
Israeli parliament takes first step in Netanyahu’s overhaul
JERUSALEM — Israel’s parliament on Monday approved the first major law in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s contentious plan to overhaul the country’s justice system, triggering a new burst of mass protests and drawing accusations that he was pushing the country toward authoritarian rule.
Residents worry Fukushima’s wastewater release will be another setback
IWAKI, Japan — Beach season has started across Japan, which means seafood for holiday makers and good times for business owners. But in Fukushima, that may end soon.
DeSantis says he’s driven more by faith in God than by politics
SALT LAKE CITY — Ron DeSantis boasted Friday about his lengthy list of endorsements and support in Utah, telling a group of backers in the deeply religious state that he was driven by faith in God more than political ideology.
Scientists say Florida Keys coral reefs are already bleaching
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Some Florida Keys coral reefs are losing their color weeks earlier than normal this summer because of record-high water temperatures, meaning they are under stress and their health is potentially endangered, federal scientists said.
Damage to Pfizer plant unlikely to cause drug supply shortages
RALEIGH, N.C. — Most of the destruction from a tornado that tore through eastern North Carolina Wednesday and struck a large Pfizer pharmaceutical plant affected its storage facility, rather than its medicine production areas, the company said Friday.
No remains found at dig near former Native American school
An archeological dig for a lost children’s cemetery near the Nebraska site of a former Native American boarding school has ended after two weeks — and no remains were found.
‘Help me’ sign leads to rescue of kidnapped Texas girl
LONG BEACH, Calif. — A 13-year-old girl kidnapped in Texas and sexually assaulted was rescued in Southern California when passersby saw her hold up a “help me” sign in a parked car, police and federal authorities said.
Russia targets Ukraine’s farm storage sites
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia followed its withdrawal from a grain export deal by expanding its attacks from port infrastructure to farm storage buildings in Ukraine’s Odesa region on Friday, while also practicing a Black Sea blockade.
Russia under U.N. pressure to avoid global food crisis
UNITED NATIONS — Russia came under pressure at the U.N. Security Council on Friday from its ally China and developing countries as well as Western nations to avert a global food crisis and quickly revive Ukrainian grain shipments.