List of All Articles with Tag 'world'

North Korean state media said the US soldier who ran across the border is seeking refuge there because

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen confirmed on Monday that she unwittingly ate a dish containing hallucinogenic mushrooms at a restaurant during a visit to China last month. “So I went with this large group of people and the person who had arranged our dinner did the ordering. There was a delicious mushroom dish,” she said on Monday. “I was not aware that these mushrooms had hallucinogenic properties. I learned that later.” “I … read that if the mushrooms are cooked properly, which I’m sure they were, at this very good restaurant, that they have no impact,” she added. “But all of us enjoyed the mushrooms, the restaurant and none of us felt any ill effects from having eaten them.” During the Treasury official’s visit to China last month, she and her team stopped at a location of Yi Zuo Yi Wang, a restaurant chain specialising in dishes from the Yunnan province, where a food blogger on Weibo spotted the top official eating a variety of Chinese dishes. “When I walked by their table on my way to the washroom, I slowed down to take a glance at the dishes they ordered,” the blogger wrote. That included an order of potentially hallucinogenic jian shou qing mushrooms, a delicacy in Yunnan province. “Our staff said she loved mushrooms very much,” the restaurant wrote on social media. “She ordered four portions of jian shou qing (a Yunnan wild mushroom species). It was an extremely magical day.” The mushrooms are “considered poisonous as they can be hallucinogenic,” Dr Peter Mortimer, a professor at Kunming Institute of Botany who studies the region’s mushrooms, told CNN. “However, scientists have not, as of yet, identified the compounds responsible for causing the hallucinations,”he added. “It remains a bit of a mystery, and most evidence is anecdotal. I have a friend who mistakenly ate them and hallucinated for three days.” Chinese state media quoted diners praising Ms Yellen for her interest in Chinese cuisine and warning about the impacts of the mushrooms. “You thought you were walking straight but you just fell sideways,” one person who had eaten a similar dish told the Xinhua state news agency. The restaurant where the secretary ate was quickly flooded with reservations. "We received a larger number of inquiries about bookings. We are fully booked for Friday and Saturday," a staff member told the state-owned Global Times. Read More Biden signs order barring US investment in Chinese chips, quantum computing and AI sectors Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen reportedly ate hallucinogenic mushrooms at restaurant during China visit China's Xi tells Kissinger that China-US ties are at a crossroads and stability is still possible

More than 450 women from Afghanistan have escaped the country to study abroad.

House Republicans raged against former president Donald Trump’s fourth indictment in Georgia, saying that it was politically targeted. Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who voted to object to the 2020 election results, said “Americans see through this desperate sham.” Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, who replaced Rep Liz Cheney after Ms Cheney’s repeated critiques of Mr Trump, said Mr Trump “will defeat these bogus charges and win back the White House in 2024.” But for the most part, Senate Republican leadership stayed silent amid the news of Mr Trump’s latest indictment. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Whip John Thune, Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Barasso and many other senior Republican leaders in the Senate remained mum. Some of the Senate’s most ardent conservatives did speak out, including Sen Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Tthe top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee said on Fox News that Mr Trump’s fate “should be decided at the ballot box and not in a bunch of liberal jurisdictions trying to put the man in jail.” Sen Ted Cruz (R-TX), who led efforts in the Senate to overturn the 2020 election results, told Sean Hannity on Monday evening that he was “pissed.” But for the most part, Senate Republican leadership stayed quiet. When asked on Fox News about the indictment, Sen Joni Ernst (R-IA) brushed off the question of Mr Trump’s indictment. “I honestly think that Iowans are becoming desensitised to this,” said Ms Ernst, who at one time was vetted to be Mr Trump’s running mate and won re-election in 2020 when Mr Trump won Iowa a second time. “I don't even know that they are paying attention to it. It’s the third indictment. It’s the fourth indictment.” Ms Ernst parroted the oft-repeated line by Republicans that Mr Trump’s indictments show that the US justice system had two tiers. “One if your name is Trump, and there is one if your name is Biden,” she said. “But again, it seems to be politically motivated so much that Iowans just throw up their hands anymore.” Sen Steve Daines (R-MT), who endorsed Mr Trump earlier this year, slammed the indictment. “The latest indictment of President Trump is brought by a rogue DA who is following in the footsteps of the rogue DOJ, further cementing the two systems of justice in America today,” he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. Mr Daines leads the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which is responsible for defending Republican incumbents and flipping Democratically-held Senate seats in swing states. “The justice system should be—it must be—blind, not weaponized against political opponents.” The contrasting approaches between House and Senate GOP leadership parallel how Republicans approached Mr Trump and his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. While 139 House Republicans, including members of House Republican leadership such as now-House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Mr McCarthy and Ms Stefanik voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, only eight Republican senators, led by Mr Cruz and Sen Josh Hawley (R-MO) voted to object to the election results. Meanwhile, House Republicans condemned Ms Cheney and now-former Rep Adam Kinzinger for their participation in the January 6 select committee. No Republicans faced serious consequences from leadership for voting to impeach Mr Trump for inciting the January 6 riot. Similarly, while Mr McCarthy previously said that Mr Trump “bears responsibility” for the attack despite not voting to impeach him, he has largely welcomed Mr Trump’s support. Conversely, after the impeachment trial in the Senate, Mr McConnell condemned Mr Trump. “There's no question — none — that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day,” he said. But Mr McConnell said so after he decided against voting to convict the former president. Read More ‘I’m pissed’: Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz lead Republican reaction to Trump’s fourth indictment Trump claims mystery press conference report clears him of Georgia election charges: Live updates Trump charged with racketeering by Fulton County grand jury: Live updates The damning phone call that may have led to the downfall of Trump and his cronies Prosecutors in the Hunter Biden case deny defense push to keep gun charge agreement in place

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has swiped the second spot in the upcoming New Hampshire primary from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis even as former President Donald Trump remains dominant. A new poll from Emerson College released on Tuesday shows Mr Christie at nine per cent support, while Mr DeSantis is at eight per cent, down from 17 per cent in March. Mr Christie’s lead is within the poll’s 3.4 per cent margin of error. Mr Trump received 49 per cent. Spencer Kimball, the executive director of Emerson College Polling, said that “DeSantis has been the alternative to Trump in Emerson polling this presidential cycle. This is the first time we have seen DeSantis drop out of second place in our polling, and fall back into the pack of candidates”. Meanwhile, the 2024 election looks set to be a rematch between President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump. Despite his mounting legal problems, Mr Trump is by far the most popular candidate in the Republican field. The Republican primary is scheduled to begin with the Iowa caucuses on 15 January and the New Hampshire primary on 23 January. Read More Who are the 2024 presidential election candidates? Meet the Republicans and Democrats campaigning Trump lashes out on Truth Social over Georgia election plot charges – and spells ‘indicted’ wrong Will Donald Trump go to prison? Trump indictment live: Trump reacts as he and 18 allies charged over Georgia election plot Was Fulton County Court hacked? How did a Trump charge sheet get published hours before grand jury vote

Javier Milei, the outsider who won Argentina’s primary election this week, is starting talks with the International Monetary

Cava Group Inc. expects higher profits this year, although it cautioned that a muddy consumer-spending picture could limit

Hunter Biden’s defence attorney asked to withdraw from the federal case against his client – regarding tax offenses and a gun possession charge – because he said he could be called as a witness in the future. Christopher Clark, Mr Biden’s lawyer, filed a motion with the Delaware judge on Tuesday. “Based on recent developments, it appears that the negotiation and drafting of the plea agreement and diversion agreement will be contested, and Mr Clark is a percipient witness to those issues,” the filing states. “Under the ‘witness-advocate’ rule, it is inadvisable for Mr Clark to continue as counsel in this case,” it continued. “Withdrawal will not cause a substantial hardship to Mr Biden because counsel from the other firms that have entered an appearance will continue to represent Mr Biden in this matter,” the filing said. The move comes after an 11 August filing by prosecutors, led by David Weiss, who was granted special counsel status, asking the court to cancel its request that both sides reach a renewed agreement on the plea deal “since there is no longer a plea agreement or diversion agreement for the Court to consider.” Both parties are at an “impasse” regarding the tax charges and the parties haven’t reached a “diversion agreement” regarding the gun possession charge, Mr Weiss wrote. Days later, on Sunday, Mr Biden’s attorneys argued in a filing that the Justice Department decided to “renege” on its side of the deal on tax charges; the gun charge agreement also contains an immunity clause against federal prosecutions for some other potential crimes. His lawyers also wrote that the parties have a “valid and binding bilateral Diversion Agreement.” In response on Tuesday, prosecutors wrote in a filing that it “did not ‘renege’ on the ‘previously agreed-upon Plea Agreement.’” The special counsel wrote that because the Chief United States Probation Officer “did not approve the now-withdrawn diversion agreement, it never went into effect and, therefore, none of its terms are binding on either party.” Read More Prosecutors in the Hunter Biden case deny defense push to keep gun charge agreement in place Hunter Biden’s lawyer fight to keep plea deal Hunter Biden’s attorney doesn’t expect new charges from special counsel probe

A new sketch of the last known victim of the notorious “Candy Man” serial killer Dean Corll has been released 50 years after he was discovered in a mass grave. For decades, the young man whose mutilated body was found in belted brightly-colored swim trunks has only been known as “Swimsuit Boy” or “John Houston Doe” – but now officials are hoping the new sketch will finally be able to give the victim his name back. The facial rendering was released by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) last week, on the 50th anniversary of the day many of the bodies were found in mass graves on 9 August 1973. Corll, who was infamously nicknamed “The Candy Man” because he was known to hand out free candy to kids at his parents’ candy store, terrorised young men in the Houston area in the early 1970s. Between 1970 and 1973, Corll and his accomplices David Owen Brooks, then 17, and Elmer Wayne Henley, then 18, kidnapped, tortured, raped and killed at least 28 males between the ages of 13 and 20. It’s believed the number of slayings, known as the “Houston Mass Murders,” were far more than 28. The victims’ remains were found after Henley led Houston police to a boat storage shed, where 17 bodies were found wrapped in plastic or sheets and buried under a layer of lime plaster, according to Dean Corll: The True Story of The Houston Mass Murders: Historical Serial Killers and Murderers, by Jack Rosewood. On 8 August 1973, a day before the bodies were found, Henley shot and killed 33-year-old Corll with the killer’s own .22 pistol, allegedly screaming: “I can’t go on any longer! I can’t have you kill all my friends!”, Texas Monthly reported. Henley admitted direct involvement in six of the killings, and is serving six consecutive terms of 99 years of imprisonment with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. He will be eligible for parole in October 2025 at the age of 70. Brooks died from COVID-19 in 2020 in a Galveston hospital while serving a life sentence. Over the past 50 years, investigators have been able to identify 27 of Corll’s known victims, giving each of “The Lost Boys” a name – except one – John Doe 1973. The latest attempt to identify the final victim from the 1970s horror was revived this year after Corll’s house was razed in February. At least eight victims were shot and killed at that house, officials have said. John Doe, who police believe was white possibly Hispanic, and between 15 and 18 when he was killed, was one of the 17 bodies found at the boat shed, according to NCMEC’s website. He was found with belted “Catalina” swim trunks that had bright red, turquoise, gold, and dark blue stripes. The shorts also had the letter "C" with golden wings on the silver buckle. The victim was wearing a khaki-colored long sleeved 70s style shirt that tied in the front, with a large red, white, and blue peace symbol and the letters “USA.” Dark blue corduroys, a knotted leather ankle bracelet, and brown leather cowboy boots that were 12 inches in length and had the word "NEOLITE" on the heel, were also found. It was later determined that the young man had a mild form of spina bifida, according to NCMEC. Carol Schweitzer, supervisor of NCMEC’s Forensic Services Unit, said they “remain hopeful that this young man’s family and friends are still looking for him.” “This young man’s friends and classmates would be in their late 60s to early 70s, and we hope that this new imagery reaches them and helps bring in that one single lead needed to resolve this case,” Ms Schweitzer said in a statement. “He may have siblings, cousins, classmates, neighbors, or friends who have always wondered what happened to him. This young man’s friends and classmates would be in their late 60s to early 70s and we hope that this new imagery reaches them and helps bring in that one single lead needed to resolve this case.” Anyone with information on “John Doe 1973,” is asked to call the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST or the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences and reference case number ML73-3356. Read More California judge charged in wife's murder expected to appear in Los Angeles court Rachel Morin – latest: Bel Air mother-of-five’s killer remains at large as Maryland police step up patrols Alex Murdaugh planned a birthday party for his son Paul from jail 10 months after killing him, book claims

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis ventured where US Justice Department Special Counsel John “Jack” Smith chose not

More than 3,000 tourists have been evacuated from a holiday hotspot in the south of France after a devastating wildfire ripped through homes and campsites overnight. Holidaymakers fled from four campsites close to the Spanish border as flames spread across 500 hectares of land. Around 650 firefighters battled the flames in the Pyrénées-Orientales region, which left 17 with minor injuries, the local prefecture announced. Sparked by “intense heat, dryness and tumultuous winds of up to 180km/h,” the fire broke out between Saint André and Argelès-sur-Mer. Michalak Guimbert, deputy mayor of Argeles-sur-Mer, said tourists had arrived in municipal halls “in swimsuits” because they were returning from the beach when the fire broke out. She said “flabbergasted children” were among those running from the flames. As the wildfires were brought under control by Tuesday morning, the extent of the devastation wrought by the flames was clear. Pictures show blackened and charred campsites, which were brimming with happy holidaymakers just hours before. As well as a campsite and warehouse, thirty houses have been damaged by the fire. “Our town is hard hit, and there is a lot of damage,” Saint-André’s mayor, Samuel Molly, told France Bleu. “The village is burned on both sides, a third has been hit by the fire.” Christelle, a resident who fled her home, told France Bleu Roussillon: “This fire is very impressive, it scares me. I hope I will find my whole house.” The fire is now under control, the French interior minister Gérald Darmanin said on Twitter. No residents or tourists were injured but Mr Darmanin asked that “the population and holidaymakers be extremely vigilant”. France’s minister of ecological transition, Christophe Béchu, visited Les Chênes Rouges campsite on Tuesday. He posted photos of charred trees, saying: “These striking images testify to the intensity of the fire. I am committed to supporting tourism stakeholders in the reconstruction and restoration of devastated natural areas.” “Drought and fire are two sides of the same coin: climate change,” Mr Bechu said. Most of the evacuees have been able to return to their accommodation or homes, but a few dozen tourists were still waiting to be rehoused, Mr Bechu told reporters in Saint-Andre. Some of those people lost their documents, money and cars in the blaze, he added. Wildfires have battered Europe this summer, with both locals and tourists being forced to flee from the deadly flames. Mr Bechu said that this summer has seen fewer fires in France than last year, when 70,000 hectares were burnt to cinders – but it was necessary to be "humble" as summer was not over. Five regions in the east of the country are currently on "high alert" for heatwaves, according to the French weather authority Meteo France website. Last week, firefighters evacuated more than 130 people as they fought to control a wildfire at Portbou on the Spanish border with France on the Mediterranean coast. The blaze ravaged around 435 hectares of land. Reuters contributed to this report Read More Maui fires live updates: Biden slammed over ‘no comment’ line as Hawaii death toll continues to climb France: Smoke clouds fill skies wildfire burns close to holiday hotspot Barack Obama’s message to people of Hawaii after deadly wildfires Brains of teenage smokers may be different than non-smokers, study suggests Rishi Sunak defends Bibby Stockholm plan after series of setbacks Australia has captured its continent as it faces England for a spot in the Women's World Cup final

Critics of Donald Trump believe he may be using racist dogwhistles while discussing Black litigators and political opponents in the wake of his latest indictment. Mr Trump was indicted yet again, this time in Georgia. On Monday, Fulton County prosecutors accused him of trying to manipulate the 2020 presidential election results in the Peach State. He took to Truth Social to announce that a "large, complex, detailed but irrefutable REPORT" proving his election fraud claims in Georgia would be presented on 21 August. In addition to the grand announcement, he also dropped a weird noun that left some observers sceptical of its intended use. "There will be a complete EXONERATION!" Mr Trump wrote of his upcoming presser. "They never went after those that Rigged the Election. They only went after those that found to find the RIGGERS!." Whether or not Mr Trump intended to describe his political enemies using a word that is one letter away from being an exceptionally offensive slur is unclear. What is clear is that plenty of observers noted his use of the word. Arieh Kovler, a current affairs and politics writer, collected a sampling of responses from a group of Trump supporters who post anonymously at a Reddit-like forum. "I don't know if Trump deliberately uses 'RIGGERS!' as a dog-whistle, but his supporters hear it either way," he wrote. “Worth noting here that the ‘riggers’ as a racist codeword has been used for a while in MAGA circles.” Mr Kovler included a screenshot from the site showing one user who said "I love [Trump] so much" because "he just used the word RIGGERS!" In other posts, supporters made clear they were not discussing alleged election manipulators while using the word. Similar responses could be found on Twitter when searching about Mr Trump’s use of the word. Mr Trump making racist-adjacent remarks is hardly novel. During his presidency he reportedly questioned why the US would allow Haitians and African immigrants to cross the border, referring to their homes as "s***hole countries." His niece, Mary Trump, has stated publicly that she heard the former president use racial slurs growing up and claimed racism was normal for his family. And he has given special nicknames for his Black opponents — like calling New York Attorney General "peekaboo James," which may or may not be a reference to a racist insult aimed at Black people. He also called Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg an "animal" and a "criminal" who works for George Soros. He called both Ms James and Mr Bragg "racists" and extended that charge to the woman leading Georgia's case against him, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Williams. Ms Williams is Black, and Mr Trump has baselessly accused her of having an affair with a "gang member" she was prosecuting. “They say there’s a young woman, a young racist in Atlanta. She’s a racist. And they say, I guess they say that she was after a certain gang and she ended up having an affair with the head of the gang or a gang member,” Mr Trump said in his remarks to a group of veterans on 8 August. “And this is the person that wants to indict me. She’s got a lot of problems.” In contrast, when referring to DOJ special counsel Jack Smith, the white litigator leading the federal government's case against Mr Trump, the former president refers to him as "psycho" and "unhinged." Mr Trump has denied all accusations of being racist. Read More MAGA conspiracy theorist Kari Lake rails against Trump indictment – with conspiracy about Epstein’s death How ‘gangster’ Trump could be destroyed by one explosive phone call Trump lashes out on Truth Social over Georgia election plot charges – and spells ‘indicted’ wrong Christie takes second place from DeSantis in New Hampshire: poll Watch live view of Georgia courthouse after Donald Trump’s indictment Kari Lake rails against Trump indictment – with conspiracy about Epstein’s death