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UN Yemen envoy warns of 'devastating' escalation but points to glimmer of hope

The U.N. envoy for Yemen has warned that recent developments in the Red Sea, Israel and inside the country "show the real danger of a devastating region-wide escalation" — but he also pointed to a glimmer of hope.

Hans Grundberg said that Yemen's warring parties — the internationally recognized government and Houthi rebels – informed him Monday night "that they have agreed on a path to de-escalate a cycle of measures and countermeasures which had sought to tighten their grip on the banking and transport sectors."

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Netanyahu looks to rally US Congress support amid protests and boycotts

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks before Congress Wednesday in hopes of bolstering U.S. support for continuing Israel's fight against Hamas and other adversaries, even as the Biden administration is urging him to focus on closing a deal ending the devastating nine-month war in Gaza.

Netanyahu is assured a warm welcome from Republican lawmakers who arranged his speech in the House chamber, an appearance making him the first foreign leader to address a joint meeting of Congress four times, surpassing Winston Churchill.

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Germany bans 'Hezbollah, Iran-linked' Islamist group

The German government on Wednesday banned a Hamburg-based organization accused of promoting the Iranian leadership's ideology and supporting Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group, as police raided 53 properties around the country.

The ban on the Islamic Center Hamburg, or IZH, and its various suborganizations elsewhere in Germany followed searches in November. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said material gathered in the investigation "confirmed the serious suspicions to such a degree that we ordered the ban today."

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French interior minister praises law enforcement for security work at Paris Olympics

Three days before the start of the 2024 Olympics, France's interior minister praised law enforcement for their hard work in making the Paris Games safe for thousands of athletes and millions of fans amid security challenges.

Paris is deploying around 30,000 police officers each day for the Olympics, which run Friday to Aug. 11, with a peak of 45,000 for the opening ceremony on the Seine river.

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German govt sets out plan to safeguard highest court

Germany's governing coalition and the conservative opposition on Tuesday presented a plan to protect the country's highest court against possible future manipulation or obstruction by extremist or authoritarian politicians.

Justice Minister Marco Buschmann cited experiences in Poland, Hungary and Israel as illustrating the need to bolster the Federal Constitutional Court. Germany's own political landscape has become increasingly fragmented in recent years, with the far-right Alternative for Germany party emerging as a significant political force.

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Hurricanes and earthquakes grab headlines but inland counties top disaster list

Floyd County keeps flooding and the federal government keeps coming to the rescue.

In July 2022, at least 40 people died and 300 homes were damaged when the eastern Kentucky county flooded. It was the 13th time in 12 years that the rural county was declared a federal disaster. These are disasters so costly that local governments feel they can't pay for it all, so the governor asks the president to declare a disaster freeing up federal funds.

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Wildfires plague the US West amid a scorching heat wave and high winds

At least a half-dozen homes lay in ruins after one of many dangerous wildfires in the West suddenly swept into a Southern California neighborhood during a blistering heat wave.

Six homes were ravaged and seven damaged when the fire sparked by fireworks erupted Sunday afternoon in a hilly area of Riverside, a city about 60 miles (95 kilometers) east of Los Angeles, authorities said at a media briefing Monday evening.

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Rise of women's sports brings greater emphasis on maternity and parental needs

The support being provided at the Paris Olympics for athletes who are also parents is just part of a larger trend as the rise of women's sports puts greater emphasis on maternity and parental needs.

In France, a nursery is available for athletes' children in the Olympic village for the first time and private rooms will be provided by organizers for nursing mothers. But the Olympics aren't alone.

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Coca-Cola raises full-year sales guidance after stronger-than-expected second quarter

Coca-Cola is raising its full-year sales guidance after a stronger-than-expected second quarter boosted by continued price increases.

The Atlanta beverage giant said Tuesday it now expects organic sales to grow between 9% and 10% this year, up from 8% to 9% previously.

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Death toll in southern Ethiopia mudslides rises to at least 157

At least 157 people were killed in mudslides in a remote part of Ethiopia that has been hit with heavy rainfall, many of them as they tried to rescue survivors of an earlier mudslide, local authorities said Tuesday.

Young children and pregnant women were among the victims of the mudslides in the Kencho Shacha Gozdi district of southern Ethiopia, said Dagmawi Ayele, a local administrator.

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