Blinken calls for protection of civilians as Israel prepares for expected assault on Gaza | AP News

Blinken calls for protection of civilians as Israel prepares for expected assault on Gaza | AP News

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Saturday for protection for civilians in both the Gaza Strip and Israel as the Israeli military ordered half of the Palestinian territory’s population to evacuate in advance of an expected ground assault. Blinken met his Saudi Arabian counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, in

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Armenian president approves parliament’s decision to join the International Criminal Court | AP News

Armenian president approves parliament’s decision to join the International Criminal Court | AP News

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan approved the parliament’s decision to join the International Criminal Court in a move that has further strained the country’s ties with its old ally Russia. Last week, Armenia’s parliament voted to join the ICC by ratifying the Rome Statute that created the tribunal. Countries that have signed

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Iran’s foreign minister warns Israel from Beirut it could suffer ‘a huge earthquake’ | AP News

Iran’s foreign minister warns Israel from Beirut it could suffer ‘a huge earthquake’ | AP News

BEIRUT (AP) — Iran’s foreign minister on Saturday called on Israel to stop its attacks on Gaza, warning that the war might expand to other parts of the Middle East if Hezbollah joins the battle, and that would make Israel suffer “a huge earthquake.”Hossein Amirabdollahian told reporters in Beirut that Lebanon’s Hezbollah group has taken

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UN will repatriate 9 South African peacekeepers in Congo accused of sexual assault | AP News

UN will repatriate 9 South African peacekeepers in Congo accused of sexual assault | AP News

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — The United Nations said it will repatriate nine peacekeepers from a South African contingent in eastern Congo who were accused of sexual assault and other abuse.The U.N. decided to immediately repatriate the peacekeepers and a senior officer of the South African army “due to the seriousness of the allegations against them,”

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Israel-Hamas war: Palestinians flee within Gaza after Israel stages brief ground incursions | AP News

Israel-Hamas war: Palestinians flee within Gaza after Israel stages brief ground incursions | AP News

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinians scrambled to flee northern Gaza on Saturday after the Israeli military ordered nearly half the population to evacuate south and carried out limited ground forays ahead of an expected land offensive a week after Hamas’ bloody, wide-ranging attack into Israel. Israel renewed calls on social media and in

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France is deploying 7,000 troops after a deadly school stabbing by a suspected Islamic radical | AP News

France is deploying 7,000 troops after a deadly school stabbing by a suspected Islamic radical | AP News

ARRAS, France (AP) — France will mobilize up to 7,000 soldiers to increase security around the country after a teacher was fatally stabbed and three other people wounded in a school attack by a former student suspected of Islamic radicalization, the president’s office said Saturday.Some children and personnel returned to the Gambetta-Carnot school in the

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Gunmen kill 6 construction workers in volatile southwestern Pakistan | AP News

Gunmen kill 6 construction workers in volatile southwestern Pakistan | AP News

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Gunmen shot and killed six construction workers overnight in the volatile southwestern Baluchistan province, Pakistani police said Saturday.Police officer Hidayatullah Dashti said gunmen opened fire overnight at eight construction workers in the city of Turbat, about 377 miles (about 606 kilometers) south of Quetta — the capital of the province. Two

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Evolving crisis fuels anxiety among Venezuelans who want a better economy but see worsening woes | AP News

Evolving crisis fuels anxiety among Venezuelans who want a better economy but see worsening woes | AP News

SAN JOAQUIN, Venezuela (AP) — The avocado trees across the road from Jose Hernandez’s tin-roofed home help feed several retirees in the rural community of San Joaquin along a highway two hours southwest of Venezuela’s capital. He and his neighbors cut the avocados with the owner’s permission and sell them to motorists at a nearby

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Voting closes in New Zealand’s election, with polls indicating people favor a conservative change | AP News

Voting closes in New Zealand’s election, with polls indicating people favor a conservative change | AP News

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Voting closed Saturday in New Zealand and ballot counting was underway in a general election, with opinion polls indicating people were favoring a conservative change after six years of a liberal government led for most of that time by Jacinda Ardern.Warm spring weather in the largest city of Auckland seemed

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