World Headlines
US expresses ‘grave’ concern as fighting in Sudan’s El Fasher escalates amid civil war
pawel.gaul/Getty Images(LONDON) -- The U.S. said it is "gravely concerned" following a "large-scale escalation" of fighting in El Fasher, capital of Sudan's North Darfur state, amid a civil war that has been raging in the North African country for more than a year.Initial reports of escalating fighting began to surface on Sept, 12 following what eyewitnesses recount as a multidirectional attack on the city by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group.The shelling has been consistent, with explosions being heard in the city "several times this week," Salah, a resident of the city, told ABC News on Tuesday. He asked to be identified by only his first name."There are casualties and many civilians have been killed and injured," Salah said. ... Read More
Israeli defense officials at odds with Netanyahu over Hamas, Hezbollah cease-fire conditions
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem on September 2, 2024. (OHAD ZWIGENBERG/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)(TEL AVIV, Israel) -- Officials in Israel's defense establishment are now strenuously contradicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's insistence that Israel maintain control of the narrow strip of land along the Gaza-Egypt border known as the Philadelphi Corridor, and warning that Netanyahu's reluctance to sign a cease-fire deal with Hamas is pushing Israel into a potentially disastrous war with Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to Israeli military and senior defense officials who spoke with ABC News.A war with Hezbollah in Lebanon "is easy to start, but very hard to end," one such official said, on condition of anonymity. "We are losing ... Read More
Israel-Gaza live updates: Blinken to travel to Egypt for fresh talks
pawel.gaul/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Egypt on Wednesday for fresh talks on an Israel-Hamas cease-fire, and as tension with Hezbollah persists at the Israel-Lebanon border.Here's how the news is developing:Netanyahu undermining security with 'petty politics,' political rival allegesBenny Gantz -- the leader of the centrist National Unity coalition -- on Tuesday accused rival Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of endangering Israeli security "in the most tangible way that I can remember being done by a prime minister during a war, and in general."In a public statement -- later also published on his X page -- Gantz accused the prime minister of "security recklessness" over reports that Netanyahu is preparing to replace Defense Minister Yoav ... Read More
Russia downs 30 ‘Ukrainian drones’ in overnight attack, defense ministry says
omersukrugoksu/Getty Images(LONDON) -- Russia's Defense Ministry said Sunday it defeated a fresh wave of Ukrainian drone attacks over the west of the country.The ministry wrote on its official Telegram channel that 29 "Ukrainian drones were destroyed by air defense on duty overnight."The ministry said that 15 UAVs were downed over Bryansk region, five over the Kursk region, four over the Smolensk region, two over the Orel region and one each over Belgorod, Kaluga and Rostov regions.On Sunday morning, the ministry said it shot down an additional Ukrainian drone over the Ryazan region.Ukraine's air force said Russia fired two ballistic missiles, one cruise missile and 14 Shahed UAVs into the country on Saturday night. The cruise missile and 10 Shaheds were ... Read More
Animal rights group calls for release of Argentina’s last captive orca
FILE photo -- Kevin Schafer/Getty Images(LONDON) -- Animal rights activists are calling for the release of an orca who has been living in Argentina's largest aquarium for over 30 years.The orca named Kshamenk, pronounced Shamenk, is the last captive orca in all of Latin America, living in Buenos Aires' Mundo Marino aquarium since his rescue in 1992.Recently, viral drone footage showing Kshamenk lying almost motionless in his small concrete pool has brought renewed attention to the fate of the lone orca, with thousands around the world calling for him to be released from captivity."Time is not on Kshamenk's side," Canadian whistleblowing organization Urgent Seas, which has been leading the campaign for Kshamenk's release, told ABC News. "The recent deaths of ... Read More
US pushes to add two permanent UN Security Council seats for African nations
steve007/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- The Biden administration has announced plans to expand the influential United Nations Security Council by adding two permanent seats for African nations -- an initiative that will likely face an uphill battle in the body and could spark pushback from other countries that have long sought permanent membership."It's what our African partners seek, and we believe, this is what it's what is just," U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said in announcing the plan during a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations on Thursday.But the administration's plan comes with an important caveat: Unlike the other permanent members of the Council -- China, France, Great Britain, Russia, and the U.S. -- the African representatives would ... Read More
Two men charged in Banksy artwork theft from London gallery, police say
A Banksy painting, Girl With Balloon, on display at the Grove Gallery in London after it was stolen, then recovered and returned to the gallery. -- (Photo by James Manning/PA Images via Getty Images)(LONDON) -- Two men were charged with burglary after a Banksy artwork was stolen from a London gallery, the Metropolitan Police said Friday.Police said the artwork, "Girl with Balloon," was taken from a gallery on New Cavendish Street in London at about 11 p.m. on Sunday. The piece was later returned to the gallery, police said, adding that it appeared to have been the only item taken in Sunday's burglary.Larry Fraser, 47, and James Love, 53, were charged with non-residential burglary, the Met said. The pair appeared ... Read More
A Palestinian girl suffered burns to over 60% of her body: This is her monthslong journey out of a war zone
Sara Bsaiso (left) and her sister Seham Besaiso in Gaza before Sara’s injury. -- Courtesy of Seham Besaiso(NEW YORK) -- If someone asked Sara Bsaiso what her dream was one year ago, it would have been to finish her senior year of high school, complete her final exams and attend college or university.However, those dreams were dashed when Sara became one of the more than 12,000 children and teenagers in the Gaza Strip who have been injured since the Israel-Hamas war began.Sara suffered severe third-degree burns to much of her body and went months with limited medical care before she was able to be medically evacuated to the United States, she told ABC News. Two of her brothers were killed ... Read More
Palestinian child awaits Gaza evacuation as pacemaker battery nears depletion
Courtesy Huda Hammad(LONDON) -- As a 4-year-old Palestinian child waited on Sunday to cross into Jordan for a chance at a life-saving medical procedure, a gunman was crossing from the other side to attack Israeli border guards.Accompanied by his mother and fiercest advocate, Huda, Ahmed Hammad had left Gaza a few hours earlier for an emergency surgery to change his pacemaker, a necessary device he had since he was just a baby that has a battery that is now days away from completely depleting.As doctors first warned about the situation in March, the family soon organized to request an emergency evacuation, according to the humanitarian agents helping them. But Hammad's case was repeatedly rejected by Israeli officials who cited security ... Read More
Russia appears to have launched initial major counterattack against Ukraine in Kursk
In a still from a video posted by a pro-Russian account, multiple vehicles are seen rushing toward the village of Snagost in Russia's Kurst region, Sept. 10, 2024.(KURSK, Russia) -- Russia appears to have launched its first major counterattack to drive Ukrainian forces out of Russia's Kursk region more than a month after Ukraine began its surprise offensive, according to Russian and Ukrainian sources as well as independent military analysts.Russian forces appeared already to have some success on Tuesday -- retaking some territory and driving a wedge into Ukrainian lines in Kursk, analysts said.Videos posted by pro-Russian military bloggers and geolocated by ABC News showed a large Russian armored column attacking toward the village of Snagost. Another video appears to ... Read More
No decision made on long-range missiles during Blinken visit to Kyiv: Zelenskyy adviser
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken (L) and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy arrive at Kyiv train station in Kyiv, on September 11, 2024, amid the Russian invasion on Ukraine. (LEON NEAL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)(LONDON) -- No decisions were made on Ukraine's use of American long-range weapons against Russia during a meeting between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Ukrainian leadership on Wednesday, according to an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskky.The discussion comes as Blinken announced more than $700 million in new funds to support Ukraine during remarks in Kyiv.Restrictions on Ukraine's use of American long-range weapons against targets inside Russia have been one of the most pressing issues for Blinken during the visit. America's top diplomat was accompanied ... Read More
Member of local guard at US Embassy in Sudan killed in paramilitary RSF’s custody
A picture taken on Oct. 7, 2017 shows a view of the exterior of the US embassy in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum. (Ashraf Shazly/AFP via Getty Images, FILE)(LONDON) -- A local guard force member who worked at the U.S. Embassy in Sudan died while in the custody of the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, the U.S. Bureau of African Affairs said.Tarig Hassan Ahmed, the guard, who worked at the embassy in Khartoum, was described as a "dedicated" and "respected" colleague and friend to many in embassy community. The U.S. said it was "deeply saddened and disturbed" by Ahmed's killing."We have asked the RSF to provide full details of the circumstances surrounding Mr. Hassan Ahmed's detention and death and to ... Read More
ABC News analysis: 70% of schools in Gaza destroyed or damaged during Israel-Hamas war
Qadira Zourob sits on a mattress outside the tent she lives in, in the courtyard of a school housing displaced people in Khan Younis. (Diaa Ostaz/ABC News)(LONDON) -- -- Qadira Zourob, a 17-year-old in Gaza, was in her last year of high school when war broke out in the Strip after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel in 2023."I was preparing for my exams with great excitement. I had been studying hard, staying up late every night, determined to succeed and achieve a high score. But the next day, we woke up to the sounds of bombings and rocket fire," she told ABC News in an interview in a tent where her family has been displaced.Zourob is one of ... Read More
Prince William says Kate Middleton has ‘long way to go’ after finishing chemotherapy
PHOTO: Prince William, Prince of Wales greets well-wishers on Sept. 10, 2024, in Llanelli, Wales. Prince William, Prince of Wales greets well-wishers while departing from a visit to Swiss Valley Community Primary School to meet pupils who took part in the 2024 Urdd Eisteddfod, a week-long festival celebrating Welsh language and culture, on Sept. 10, 2024, in Llanelli, Wales. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)(NEW YORK) -- Prince William spoke out for the first time Tuesday after his wife Kate, the princess of Wales, announced in an emotional video message that she had finished chemotherapy after her cancer diagnosis.William spoke during a solo appearance in Wales, where he greeted well-wishers with cards and messages of support for Kate and shared an update on ... Read More
Israel-Gaza live updates: Six UN workers killed in strike on Gaza school
pawel.gaul/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- As the Israel-Hamas war continues, the latest round of cease-fire discussions appears to have reached an impasse.Meanwhile, after six hostages were found dead in Gaza, protests erupted in Israel. Protesters have lashed out at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and demanded the government bring the hostages home.Here's how the news is developing:IDF has not found any operational smuggling tunnels in RafahIn the nearly four months the Israel Defense Forces have been in Rafah, it has not found any operational smuggling tunnels beneath the Gaza-Egypt border, multiple Israeli sources told ABC News..The IDF found nine tunnels that ran under the Philadelphi corridor, all of which were blocked at some point on the Egyptian side, sources said. The IDF ... Read More
What we know about the shooter
WASHINGTON (AP) — The man identified as the shooter in the apparent assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump was a 20-year-old from a Pittsburgh suburb not far from the campaign rally where one attendee was killed. Investigators were working Sunday to gather more information about Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, who they say opened fire at the rally before being killed by Secret Service days before Trump was to accept the Republican nomination for a third time. An FBI official said late Saturday that investigators had not yet determined a motive. Two spectators were critically injured, authorities said. Relatives of Crooks didn’t immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press. His father, Matthew Crooks, told CNN late ... Read MorePrayers for Trump also pour in from political rivals
Prayers for the former president are also coming from his political opponents. “I am horrified by what happened at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania and relieved that former President Trump is safe. Political violence has no place in our country,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer in a statement. “We should all condemn what happened today and I am hoping for the health of the former president and everyone else at the rally,” Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy posted on the social platform X. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a post on X that his “thoughts and prayers are with former President Trump” and expressed thanks “for the decisive law enforcement response.” ... Read MoreWikiLeaks founder facing pivotal moment in long fight to stay out of US court
LONDON -- The host of a news conference about WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's extradition fight wryly welcomed journalists last week to the “millionth” press briefing on his court case. Deborah Bonetti, director of the Foreign Press Association, was only half joking. Assange’s legal saga has dragged on for well over a decade but it could come to an end in the U.K. as soon as Monday. Assange faces a hearing in London's High Court that could end with him being sent to the U.S. to face espionage charges, or provide him another chance to appeal his extradition. The outcome will depend on how much weight judges give to reassurances U.S. officials have provided that Assange's rights won't be trampled if ... Read More
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