In the news today: Russia is taking a risk with its grain deal decision; police in Kenya said they were told not to report protest deaths; and 2024 U.S. election concerns. Also, the annual Hemingway Look-Alike Contest is underway. |
Bulk grain cargo ship TQ Samsun is anchored in the Black Sea near the entrance of the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, July 17, 2023. (Sercan Ozkurnazli/Dia Images via AP, File) |
Russia risks alienating its few remaining partners by halting the Ukrainian grain deal |
By pulling out of a landmark deal that allowed Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea, Russian President Vladimir Putin is taking a gamble that could badly damage Moscow’s relations with many of its partners that have stayed neutral or even been supportive of the Kremlin’s invasion of its neighbor. Read more.
|
|
|
Kenya police are told not to report deaths during protests. A watchdog says they killed 6 just this week
|
Police in Kenya say they have been ordered not to report deaths during a crackdown on protests over tax increases amid the rising cost of living, but an independent watchdog said Thursday that police shot dead at least six people this week and 27 in previous weeks. Read more. |
|
|
While police in Kenya have long been accused by rights groups of using excessive force, there is growing concern about tactics used under the government of President William Ruto. He faces rising frustration from even some of the Kenyans who voted him into office after he vowed to reduce the cost of living in one of Africa’s largest economies. Now his government is having to defend itself to donors including the United States.
|
|
|
These are the top concerns for election officials ahead of 2024 |
Efforts to deceive the public about voting and elections remain a top concern for U.S. state election officials as they dig into preparations for the 2024 election. Misinformation and the emergence of artificial intelligence to create false and misleading content were cited in interviews with several secretaries of state. Other top concerns include staffing and the loss of experienced leaders overseeing elections at the local level. Read more.
|
|
|
Some election officials said they were particularly concerned about the implications of AI being misused by foreign adversaries seeking to meddle in U.S. elections. Michigan's secretary of state called for regulations requiring disclosures of AI-generated content.
The Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), a bipartisan effort aimed at improving voter lists and identifying fraud, has been facing challenges after some Republican-led states withdrew from the system, amid conspiracy theories targeting the group.
|
|
|
On July 21, 1925: The so-called “Monkey Trial” ended in Dayton, Tennessee, with John T. Scopes found guilty of violating state law for teaching Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. The conviction was later overturned on a technicality. (AP Photo)
A look at what else happened in history on July 21 |
Gray Tarry, an archaeological field technician for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, digs, while Josiah Hamilton, left, and Jamie Butts, right, high school students from Youth Conservation Corps, watch. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) |
WATCH: Archaeologists in Louisiana save artifacts 12,000 years old from natural disasters and looters
This summer, archaeologists have been gingerly digging up the ground at the Vernon Parish site in the Kisatchie National Forest after evidence of people living in the area as long as 12,000 years ago have become more exposed and vulnerable due to hurricanes, flooding and looters. |
Amid a Sriracha scarcity, you can create your own with these recipes
Bottles of a leading brand of Sriracha hot sauce are becoming increasingly hard to find, with prices going as high as $150. We have some alternatives you can make at home that pack just the right amount of punch. |
|
|
*Advertisers have no control over editorial decisions or content. If you're interested in advertising, contact us here. |
|
|
|
