Town Hall News

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Iraq’s new prime minister, Ali al-Zaidi, arrived in Turkey on Tuesday for talks that are expected to include the construction of a pipeline to Turkey aimed at reducing the exposure of Iraq’s oil exports to tensions in the Gulf region. It is al-Zaidi’s third visit abroad since taking office. Zaidi’s meetings with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other officials will also focus on security, trade, energy, […]

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spanish firefighter Javier García has never faced anything like the record blaze raging near Madrid in his two decades protecting woodlands and rural communities. “This doesn’t have a precedent,” García told The Associated Press by phone before another long day ahead. The out-of-control fire has consumed 500 square kilometers (193 square miles) — an area five times the size of Barcelona — and forced 25,000 people […]

HONG KONG (AP) — China pushed back Tuesday against claims of overcapacity in the world’s second largest economy, ahead of the release of results of a U.S. probe on the matter that could result in new tariffs. Massive capacity in a slew of Chinese industries, from automaking to solar panels, cement and steel manufacturing, among many others, has drawn increasing attention from Beijing’s trading partners in recent years. Although China’s […]

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Gunmen killed a high-ranking local Taliban official in Afghanistan’s northwestern province of Badakhshan on Tuesday in a rare targeted killing in the country. Two gunmen shot Zabihullah Amiri, Badakhshan’s director of information and culture, as he headed from a local district to the provincial capital Faizabad, the Information Ministry said in a statement. “Immediately following the incident, security guards opened fire on the attackers; one attacker […]

(SRN NEWS)-2030 is considered to be the 2,000th anniversary of the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River and Israel’s Foreign Ministry says it’s laying the groundwork now for a major celebration.  Thousands of Christians visit the Jordan every year and the government expects a huge surge in 2030.  Foreign Minister Gideon Saar says he will seek to “deepen dialogue with churches and Christian leaders worldwide and prepare for the arrival of the […]

(AP) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with President Donald Trump on Tuesday is the first since the two leaders launched a joint war against Iran and a chance for Netanyahu to smooth out strains in their relationship. The two leaders also plan to discuss the framework agreement the U.S. and Israel signed with Lebanon over the Israel-Hezbollah war and the expansion of the Abraham Accords, according to a […]

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Authorities in Bosnia on Tuesday investigated the desecration of a Virgin Mary statue and a shrine damaged by fire overnight in a southern Bosnian village, a popular destination for Roman Catholic pilgrims. Two years ago, the Vatican gave the green light for Catholics to continue flocking to Medjugorje, where children reported seeing visions of the Virgin Mary, offering its approval for devotion at one of the […]

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Since Russia’s full invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the war has repeatedly spilled across Romania’s border as drones violate the airspace of the neighboring European Union and NATO member. Now Romania is trying something new to stop the incursions: shooting down the drones. Romanian pilots shot down the first of three drones in as many days from F-16 fighter jets starting Friday as Russia intensified […]

SHELBYVILLE, Ky. (AP) — KFC founder Colonel Sanders ‘ pressure cooker, black bow tie and dozens of other personal items are up for public auction, along with his former home and a dinner house Sanders opened after selling his iconic restaurant chain. Harland Sanders, still known as the face of the worldwide chain originally known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, established the Shelbyville property as the first headquarters of his restaurant […]