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☆ Fierce storm topples tree at Cambodian Angkor temple complex, killing 1 and damaging statues
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-24 | by ( Story Ap | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —One person was killed and three others were injured at Cambodia’s famed centuries-old Angkor temple complex when a large tree was blown down onto their vehicle during a fierce rainstorm, the government said Wednesday. Police respond after a storm toppled a tree, killing one person and damaging statues at the Angkor archaeological site in Siem Reap, Cambodia, on Tuesday, July 23, 2024. Thmey Thmey Online News/APSeveral statues on the balustrade of what is called Tonle Oum Gate were also damaged by the falling tree, the statement said. The agency later announced that the tree had been removed and the entrance was again accessible to visitors. The Angkor site sprawls across some 155 square miles, containing the ruins of capitals of various Cambodian empires from the 9th to the 15th centuries.

Persons: Thmey Organizations: CNN, Tourism Ministry, Siem Reap Provincial Administration, Police, National Authority Locations: Angkor, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, South, Southeast Asia, Siem Reap Provincial, Cambodia

☆ A former corporate lawyer died after falling from a luxury liner, reports say. One expert says cruise safety is outdated.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AdvertisementWhile the chances of falling overboard on a cruise ship are extremely low , a cruise ship expert told Business Insider that the industry's safety protocols needed updating. Sophie Elizabeth Blythe-Tinker told the court her father "wasn't himself" and had become "increasingly abnormal" during his time on board, per the Telegraph. Cruise ship safetyRoss Klein, an international authority on the cruise ship industry, told BI he believes cruise ship safety rules are outdated. He said no substantial changes have been made to cruise ship safety since the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010. AdvertisementKlein is "not very hopeful" about actionable change regarding cruise safety in the near future "because nobody's pushing for changes."

Persons: —, Nigel Blythe, Blythe, William Hill, Tinker, Sophie Elizabeth Blythe, wasn't, I'm, Karen Shuman, Mr Blythe, Ross Klein, Klein, Levion Parker, Francel Parker, ideation Organizations: Service, London's, of Justice, The Telegraph, Seven Seas, Business, Seven Seas Cruises, Cruise Vessel Security, Royal Caribbean, New York Post, Sun Locations: England, Australia, Blythe, Marseille, Barcelona, Florida, Port

☆ Chinese envoy meets Hamas chief Haniyeh after first visit to Israel since Gaza war began
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | Wayne Chang | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Hong Kong CNN —Chinese diplomat Wang Kejian met Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Qatar, China’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday, the first meeting between a Chinese and Hamas official publicly acknowledged by Beijing since the outbreak of the war in Gaza. Wang and Haniyeh “exchanged views on the Gaza conflict and other issues” during their meeting Sunday, according to a brief readout from China’s Foreign Ministry Tuesday. Wang’s visit comes as Beijing aims to step up its profile as a peace broker and has become increasingly vocal in its opposition to the Gaza war. Fighting began on October 7 when Hamas carried out a deadly attack on Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking some 250 hostages, according to Israel. During his visit to the West Bank, Wang met with the Palestinian Authority’s foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki, where the Chinese envoy said Beijing is “deeply concerned” about the conflict in Gaza.

Persons: Wang Kejian, Ismail Haniyeh, Wang, Haniyeh “, Haniyeh, Qatar Cao Xiaolin, ”, Cao, Wang’s, Riyad al, “, Zhai Jun, Wang Yi, ” Wang Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, China’s, Hamas, West Bank –, Foreign, “, Security Council, United Nations, International Court of Justice, China’s Foreign Ministry, West Bank, Ministry of Health, Palestinian, Foreign Ministry, Beijing, Palestinian National Authority, Global South, UN, UN Security Council, Washington, Palestine Locations: Hong Kong, Qatar, Beijing, Gaza, Wang, Israel, China, Lebanon, Egypt, Palestinian Territories, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Indonesia, Global South Beijing, United States, Xinjiang

☆ China welcomes Arab, Muslim majority nations in Beijing for Israel-Hamas conflict talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Hong Kong CNN —China welcomed officials from Arab and Muslim majority countries on Monday for talks on “de-escalating” the Israel-Hamas conflict as Beijing steps-up its efforts to play a role in establishing a ceasefire. Zhai’s itinerary thus far has not included stops in Israel, Palestinian-controlled territories, or Iran, per information released by China’s Foreign Ministry. It’s not clear if China has been in contact with Hamas officials during the latest conflict. Visiting officials in Beijing this week include Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki of the West Bank-based Palestinian National Authority. In the talks, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said they’d already held discussions with the Iranians on the topic, the senior official said.

Persons: “, Wang Yi, Washington –, Zhang Jun, Zhai Jun, Zhai, Wang, Eli Cohen, Riyad al, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Biden, Xi, they’d Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Palestinian National Authority, of Islamic Cooperation, CNN, Israel Defense Forces, United Nations, Security Council, UN, Hamas, Foreign Ministry, China’s Foreign Ministry, Israeli, Palestinian, West Bank, Palestinian National Authority ., Ministry’s Locations: Hong Kong, China, Israel, Beijing, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Indonesia, United States, Gulf, Qatar, Washington, Gaza, United, Palestine, UAE, Turkey, Bahrain, Singapore, Europe, Palestinian, Iran, Palestinian National Authority . China, Lebanon, California

☆ Five Miles and a World Apart, Younger Activists Dream of a New Peace Process
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Mark Landler | More About Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

They acknowledge the hurdles to rearranging a diplomatic puzzle that has bedeviled world leaders and their envoys for decades. But, Ms. Pundak said, “It’s crucial to have those conversations right now, as they affect immediately what happens in Gaza. The answer, Ms. Pundak said, was neither a single state nor a simple division into two. “Eighty years ago, would you have expected German hipsters to live in France?” Ms. Pundak said. Palestinians living in Israel would vote in Palestinian elections; Israelis living in a future Palestine would vote in Israel.

Persons: Salman, Pundak, “, Ms, ” Organizations: Peace, “, West Bank, Oslo Accords, European Union Locations: Gaza, Israel, Oslo, France, Germany, Palestine, Jerusalem

☆ Israel-Hamas war live updates: Israel's raid on al-Shifa hospital continues; Israeli president says 'strong force' to be needed in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache Katrina Bishop | Ruxandra Iordache | Katrina Bishop | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Israeli President Isaac Herzog addresses a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress at the U.S. Capitol on July 19, 2023 in Washington, DC. The IDF said it found Hamas grenades and assault rifles inside the hospital, although CNBC has not been able to verify the claims. Hamas rejected accusations that it has been using the hospital for military purposes, describing the claims as nothing but "lies and cheap propaganda." Meanwhile, Israel's President Isaac Herzog warned that a "very strong force" will be needed in Gaza in the near future, as the country seeks to avoid a return to power of the militant group Hamas. We can't leave a vacuum ... No one will want to turn this place, Gaza, into a terror base again."

Persons: Isaac Herzog, Herzog Organizations: U.S, Congress, Capitol, Israel Defense Forces, Palestinian National, CNBC, Hamas Locations: Washington , DC, Gaza

☆ What is the Gaza Strip? What you need to know about the territory at the heart of the Israel-Hamas war
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Palestinians searching for survivors after an Israeli airstrike on the refugee camp of Jabalia in the Gaza Strip on October 9, 2023. The Gaza Strip is one of two designated Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank. This came against the will of the local Palestinian Arab population and surrounding Arab states. Palestinians search for survivors after an Israeli airstrike on buildings in the refugee camp of Jabalia in the Gaza Strip on October 9, 2023. Palestinians walking amid the rubble of destroyed and damaged building in the heavily bombarded city center of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on October 10, 2023.

Persons: Mahmud Hams, Omar Shakir Israel, Khan Younis, Mohammed Abed, Israel, Fatah, Khan Yunis, Said Khatib, Israel —, Jonathan Conricus Organizations: Afp, Getty, Palestinian, Hamas, Human Rights, West Bank, United Nations, U.S, Palestinian National Liberation Movement, Palestinian National Authority, Israel Defense Forces, Anadolu Agency Locations: Jabalia, Gaza, Mahmud, Israel, Egypt, Philadelphia , Pennsylvania, Palestine, Gaza City, North Gaza, Rafah, Deir el, Palestinian, Jordan, Syria, Anadolu

And as if to punctuate the tragedy and horror of the conflict, an explosion rocked a hospital in Gaza, causing hundreds of civilian casualties. "There is a significant U.S. interest here, showing strong support for Israel," which Biden did immediately after the attack and subsequently, she says. Hamas is based in Gaza, where civilian Palestinians have fought the Israeli government – Netanyahu especially – for civil and human rights. But while there are indeed Palestinians who support Hamas, not all do – and half of Gaza residents are children who are vulnerable as Israel seeks to erase Hamas forever. Biden and Netanyahu have had a chilly relationship going back to the Iran nuclear deal negotiated when Biden was vice president and which Netanyahu opposed.

Persons: Joe Biden, nudging, Biden, Biden doesn't, Benjamin Netanyahu, Jordan, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Mahmoud Abbas, Abdel Fattah el, Eileen Babbitt, Babbitt, Kamala Harris, Israel –, Chris Christie, Nikki Haley, Robert Lieberman, Israel, Lieberman, – Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Doug Schoen, Schoen, hamstrung Organizations: Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian National, White, Israel, The Fletcher School, Tufts University, Foreign, New, United Nations, Biden, Johns Hopkins University Locations: U.S, Israel, nudging Israel, Iran, Lebanon, Gaza, Egypt, Afghanistan, New Jersey, American, United States, Russia, China

☆ What is Hamas? What you need to know about the militant group that rules the Gaza Strip
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The militant Palestinian group orchestrated an unprecedented attack on Israel on Saturday, killing many hundreds of people and injuring thousands more. Israel's counteroffensive against Hamas has seen its military conduct a barrage of airstrikes across the enclosed territory of the Gaza Strip, also killing many hundreds of people. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators protest at Puerta del Sol square amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, in Madrid, Spain, October 9, 2023. Relief and Works Agency said that conditions in the Gaza Strip remain "difficult" as heavy airstrikes continue, with some shelters overcrowded. watch now"I am deeply distressed by today's announcement that Israel will initiate a complete siege of the Gaza Strip.

Persons: Mahmud Hams, Benjamin Netanyahu, Sameh, Ismail Haniyeh, Fatah, Juan Medina, Israel, Antonio Guterres, Basim Naim, BBC's, Naim, Israel's Netanyahu Organizations: Brigades, Afp, Getty Images Hamas, Israeli, Hamas, Nurphoto, Palestinian Health Ministry, Israeli Defense Forces, European Union, Movement, West Bank —, United Nations, Palestinian National Liberation Movement, Palestinian National Authority, West Bank, Pro, Puerta del Sol, Palestinian, Reuters, Works Agency Locations: Gaza, Mahmud, Israel, Hamas, Gaza City, U.S, Japan, Australia, Palestine, Palestinian, Madrid, Spain, Iran

☆ Middle East risks prospect of fresh regional war after Hamas stealth attack on Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

"To take out the leadership of Hamas, it is not going to be a matter of days or weeks. "The Israelis are going to war," Bremmer told CNBC on Monday. Ghazi Hamad, a Hamas spokesman, reportedly told the BBC that the group had direct backing for the attack from Iran. "Nobody would consider that to be hard evidence at this point," Bremmer told CNBC. Normalization no moreThe weekend attacks on Israel by Hamas militants could potentially upend efforts brokered by the United States to normalize ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Persons: Ian Bremmer, Bremmer, there're, Benjamin Netanyahu, Aqsa, Netanyahu, Ghazi Hamad, Brian Katulis, Katulis, Hamad, Al Organizations: Hamas, Eurasia Group, CNBC, Israel, European Union, Anadolu Agency, Getty, West Bank, Palestinian National Authority, Iran, BBC, Street, U.S, NBC News, Brian Katulis Middle, Iran's, Guards, Middle East Institute Locations: Israel, Gaza, Israeli, Palestinian, United States, Australia, United Kingdom, Japan, Rafah, Palestine, —, Iran, Beirut, Lebanon, Shebaa Farms, Lebanese, Syrian, Golan, Washington, Saudi Arabia, Al Jazeera

July 31 (Reuters) - The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit on Monday on behalf of Oklahoma residents asking a state judge to block the creation of the nation's first religious public charter school. Oklahoma's Statewide Virtual Charter School Board, one of the defendants in the suit, in June approved the Catholic Church's application to create the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, which would use millions of dollars in taxpayer funds to operate. Rebecca Wilkinson, the executive director of the statewide virtual charter school board, said in an email that the agency would not comment on pending litigation. Charter schools are publicly funded and independently run under the terms of a charter with a local or national authority. Listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit challenging St. Isidore are nine Oklahoma residents and the Oklahoma Parent Legislative Action Committee.

Persons: Isidore of, Isidore, Brett Farley, Farley, Ryan Walters, Walters, St, Rebecca Wilkinson, Gentner Drummond, Brad Brooks, Donna Bryson, Bill Berkrot, Deepa Babington Organizations: American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU, Charter School Board, Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, Catholic Conference of Oklahoma, U.S, Supreme, Republican, Oklahoma, Catholic, Catholic Archdiocese of, Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, University of Notre Dame, The ACLU, Americans United, and State, Education Law Center, Religion Foundation, Thomson Locations: Isidore of Seville, Oklahoma, U.S ., Maine and Montana, St, Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma, Indiana, Lubbock , Texas

☆ I'm a solo female traveler from Europe. Here's why I chose to go to Vietnam
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Lucy Handley | Lisa Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Ho Chi Minh City highlightsI'd been warned about congestion in Ho Chi Minh City, which has a population of around 9 million. Tips for traveling in Vietnam Vietnam varies from hot and dry to cold and rainy, depending on the time of year. The Saigon Opera House in Ho Chi Minh City is an example of French architecture in the city. Although I only stayed a short time, I fell in love with Ho Chi Minh City's grand architecture, history and general buzz. The Mekong DeltaSouthwest of Ho Chi Minh City lies the Mekong Delta, a region of rice paddies, rivers and floating markets.

Persons: Ho, I'd, Ho Chi Minh, Ben Nghe, Mongkol, Rex, Eugene Ferret, It's, Bob Henry, Ucg, Thanh, Virgin Mary, Phan Thi Kim Phuc, Lucy Handley Thanh, Antonin Emery, Marius Mallein, Jolie, Minh, Cai, Andrew Woodley, Mark Barnett, expat Organizations: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's National Authority of Tourism, Sapa, Chi Minh City People's, Rex, Saigon Opera House, Saigon Opera, Getty, Central Post Office, Notre Dame Cathedral, Vietnam Locations: Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, Mekong Delta, Phu, Gulf, Thailand, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam Vietnam, Hanoi, Hoi, Nguyen Hue, Ben, Chi Minh City, Ville, France, Saigon, French, Saigon Saigon, Mekong, Delta, homestays, My, Tho, Con Quy, Can, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, U.S, cassia, mealtimes

☆ EU countries, lawmakers reach data rule deal targeting Big Tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BRUSSELS, June 27 (Reuters) - EU countries and EU lawmakers on Tuesday agreed on rules that govern how Big Tech and other companies use European consumer and corporate data, with safeguards against non-EU governments gaining illegal access. The European Commission proposed the Data Act last year to cover data generated in smart gadgets, machinery and consumer products, part of a raft of legislation aimed at curbing the power of U.S. tech giants. EU concerns about data transfers have grown following revelations by former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden in 2013 of mass U.S. surveillance. "Tonight's agreement on the Data Act is a milestone in reshaping the digital space...we are on the way of a thriving EU data economy that is innovative and open — on our conditions," EU industry chief Thierry Breton said in a tweet. It also gives consumers and companies a say on what can be done with the data generated by their connected products.

Persons: Edward Snowden, Thierry Breton, Damian Boeselager, Guido Lobrano, Foo Yun Chee, David Gregorio, Lincoln Organizations: Big Tech, EU, European Commission, Manufacturers, Siemens, SAP, Information Technology Industry, ITI, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Europe

Google and OpenAI, two U.S. leaders in artificial intelligence, have opposing ideas about how the technology should be regulated by the government, a new filing reveals. Google is one of the leading developers of generative AI with its chatbot Bard, alongside Microsoft -backed OpenAI with its ChatGPT bot. While OpenAI CEO Sam Altman touted the idea of a new government agency focused on AI to deal with its complexities and license the technology, Google in its filing said it preferred a "multi-layered, multi-stakeholder approach to AI governance." "At the national level, we support a hub-and-spoke approach—with a central agency like the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) informing sectoral regulators overseeing AI implementation—rather than a 'Department of AI,'" Google wrote in its filing. "There is this question of should there be a new agency specifically for AI or not?"

Persons: Bard, Sam Altman, Emily M, Bender, Brad Smith, Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever, execs, Global Affairs Kent Walker, he's, Helen Toner, OpenAI Organizations: Google, National Telecommunications, Washington Post, Microsoft, National Institute of Standards, Technology, NIST, AI, FDA, University of Washington's Computational, Laboratory, Twitter, International Atomic Energy Agency, Post, Global Affairs, Georgetown's Center for Security, Emerging Technology, CNBC

☆ Oklahoma approves first publicly funded Catholic school in US
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Brad Brooks | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 5 (Reuters) - An Oklahoma school board on Monday approved the Catholic Church's application to create the first taxpayer-funded religious charter school in the U.S. Oklahoma's Statewide Virtual Charter School Board approved the plan to create the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School in a 3-2 vote. Charter schools are publicly funded, independently run schools established under the terms of a charter with a local or national authority. The school would cost Oklahoma taxpayers up to $25.7 million over its first five years of operation, its organizers said. The law school at the University of Notre Dame, a Catholic institution in Indiana, helped with the application.

Persons: Isidore of, Isidore, Brad Brooks, David Gregorio Our Organizations: U.S, Charter School Board, Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, Roman, Supreme, Catholic Archdiocese of, Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, University of Notre Dame, Thomson Locations: An Oklahoma, Isidore of Seville, Maine and Montana, Oklahoma, Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma, Indiana, Lubbock , Texas

China currently dominates the supply chain for many of the entries on Europe's list of "strategic" metals. By which time not more than 65% of any strategic metal's consumption will be able to come from a single third country. Europe has no strategic metal inventory, unlike the United States, China and South Korea. Given such a humble starting point, it seems unlikely EU strategic metal reserves are going to come any time soon, if they come at all. What started as a response to China's dominance of critical metals supply has been accelerated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

☆ Lebanon's top Christian cleric says judge probing port blast must be allowed to pursue truth
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A general view shows the site of the 2020 port blast, in Beirut, Lebanon January 24, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed AzakirAMMAN, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Lebanon's top Christian cleric called on Sunday for the judge struggling to investigate the Beirut port explosion to be able to pursue his work and get help from any outside authority to pinpoint those responsible for the devastating blast. "We hope investigating Judge Tareq Bitar continues his work to uncover the truth and issue a decision and get help from any international authority that can help disclose the truth...," Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, influential patriarch of Lebanon's largest Christian community, said in a sermon. Rai has long said that Lebanon's judiciary should be free of political interference and sectarian activism. "We won't allow however long it takes and rulers change to let the crime of the port pass without punishment."

Twitter on Saturday blocked searches for a series of hashtags and keywords used to promote the sale of child sex abuse material (CSAM) following an investigation by NBC News posted the day before. NBC News observed the hashtags over a period of several weeks, and counted dozens of users who collectively published hundreds of tweets daily. Irwin said in the last six weeks Twitter had been analyzing thousands of hashtags for a project that was scheduled for completion in the next few weeks. In a review of hashtags and tweets last week, NBC News confirmed that searches related to the file-sharing site Mega had been blocked. A former employee who asked to remain anonymous because they had signed a nondisclosure agreement said that many of the employees specifically tasked with child safety issues had departed the company.

Twitter accounts that offer to trade or sell child sexual abuse material under thinly veiled terms and hashtags have remained online for months, even after CEO Elon Musk said he would combat child exploitation on the platform. The tweets reviewed by NBC News offer to sell or trade content that is commonly known as child pornography or child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The tweets do not show CSAM, and NBC News did not view any CSAM in the course of reporting this article. The problem has been pervasive enough to catch the attention of some Twitter users. In 25 tweets, users tagged Musk using at least one of the major hashtags to alert him to the content.

☆ Palestinian general discusses military co-operation at talks in Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Aug 17 (Reuters) - A senior Russian official met the commander of Palestinian security forces to discuss military and intelligence co-operation, Moscow's defence ministry said on Wednesday. Without providing details, it said that Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin held talks with Major General Nidal Abu Dukhan from the Palestinian National Authority on the margins of a security conference held alongside Russia's Army-2022 forum. Ties between Moscow and Israel have also been historically strong, but have recently become strained due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which Israel has condemned. read moreIn a separate statement on Wednesday, the defence ministry said it held talks with the West African nation of Mali on strengthening its defence capabilities. Al Qaeda's affiliate in Mali claimed on Monday it had killed four mercenaries from Russia's private military firm Wagner Group in an ambush around Bandiagara in the centre of the country.

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