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As Slovakia's trust in democracy fades, its election frontrunner campaigns against aid to Ukraine

A populist former prime minister whose party is favored to win Slovakia’s early parliamentary election plans to reverse the country’s military and political support for neighboring Ukraine if he returns to power MICHALOVCE, Slovakia -- A populist former prime minister whose party is favored to win Slovakia’s early parliamentary election plans to reverse the country’s Military and political support for neighboring Ukraine, in a direct challenge to the European Union and NATO, if he returns to power. Robert Fico, who led Slovakia from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2012 to 2018, is the frontrunner to occupy the prime minister's office after the Sept. 30 election. He and his left-wing Direction, or Smer, party have campaigned on a clear pro-Russian and anti-American message. His candidacy is part of a wider trend across Europe. Only Hungary has an openly pro-Russian government, but in other countries, including Germany, France, and Spain, populist parties skeptical of intervention in U

UN committee votes to list ruins near ancient Jericho as a World Heritage Site in Palestine

A U.N. conference has voted to list prehistoric ruins near the ancient West Bank city of Jericho as a World Heritage Site in Palestine JERICHO, West Bank -- A U.N. conference voted Sunday to list prehistoric ruins near the ancient West Bank city of Jericho as a World Heritage Site in Palestine, a decision likely to anger Israel, which controls the territory and does not recognize a Palestinian state. Jericho is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities on earth, and is in a part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank that is administered by the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority. The listing refers to the Tell es-Sultan archaeological site nearby, which contains prehistoric ruins dating back to the ninth millennium B.C. and is outside the ancient city itself. The decision was taken at a meeting of the U.N. World Heritage Committee in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, under the auspices of the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO. Israel quit UNESCO in 2019,

Whole families drowned in a Libyan city's flood

The wall of water several stories high smashed into apartment buildings, drowning entire families in minutes DERNA, Libya -- The wall of water several stories high smashed into apartment buildings, drowning entire families in minutes. One man lost at least 13 members of his extended family. Fadellalah has yet to hear about the fate of another 20, several days after two dams burst above the Libyan coastal city of Derna, unleashing epic floods that killed thousands, wiped out neighborhoods and washed some of the dead into the sea. Thousands of others like Fadellalah are frantically trying to find out who survived the rain-swollen rampage. As a powerful storm bore down on his hometown, the information Technology worker in Libya’s capital of Tripoli called his family Sunday to urge them to move to higher ground. “No one expected this,” said Fadelallah, who asked that his surname not be used because he fears reprisal from government officials and armed groups who could view his story as c

Italian air force aircraft crashes during an acrobatic exercise. A girl on the ground was killed

An aircraft of the Italian acrobatic air team the Frecce Tricolori has crashed during a practice run in the northern Turin province MILAN -- An aircraft of the Italian acrobatic air team the Frecce Tricolori crashed on Saturday during a practice run outside the northern city of Turin, killing a child on the ground, Italian media reported. The plane or parts of the plane reportedly struck a car carrying a family, killing a 5-year-old girl. A 9-year-old and the parents were being treated for burns, according to Italian news agency ANSA. The pilot ejected and also reportedly suffered burns. Video of the crash shows nine aircraft in two tight V-formations, before one of the aircraft drops below the others and crashes , sending a fireball into the air. In the video, the pilot can be seen ejecting with a parachute shortly before impact inside a fence airfield. The crash reportedly happened after takeoff from the Turin Caselle airport, near the industrial northern city. There was no immedi

Libya's chief prosecutor orders investigation into collapse of 2 dams amid floods

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Libya's chief prosecutor announced Friday he has ordered an investigation into the collapse of two dams during catastrophic floods. Libya's chief prosecutor announced Friday he has ordered an investigation into the collapse of two overwhelmed dams during the catastrophic floods -- and whether better maintenance could have avoided the disaster. After Mediterranean storm Daniel brought heavy rains, and widespread flooding, to eastern Libya, two dams near the port city of Derna collapsed earlier this week, wiping out a quarter of the area. The city has been declared a disaster zone. People search for flood victims in Derna, Libya, Friday, Sept. 15, 2023. Search teams are combing streets, wrecked buildings, and even the sea to look for bodies in Derna, where the collapse of two dams unleashed a massive flash flood that killed thousands of people. Ricardo Garcia Vilanova/AP MORE: Libya flooding deaths top 11,000 with another 10,000 missing Decades-old studies showed that the two dam

British neonatal nurse found guilty of murdering 7 babies launches bid to appeal her convictions

A British neonatal nurse who was found guilty of murdering seven babies and the attempted murder of six others has launched a bid to appeal her convictions LONDON -- A British neonatal nurse who was found guilty of murdering seven babies and the attempted murder of six others has launched a bid to appeal her convictions, officials said Friday. Lucy Letby, 33, was sentenced last month to life in prison with no chance of release. A jury at Manchester Crown Court had found her guilty of the seven murder s between June 2015 and June 2016 at the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital in northwestern England. She was also found guilty of seven murder attempts involving six other babies there but was cleared of two additional charges of attempted murder. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on several other charges. Officials at the Court of Appeal said Friday they had received an application for permission to appeal against the convictions . Typically, applications for permi

Norwegian princess to marry American self-professed shaman

Princess Märtha Louise of Norway will marry her Hollywood partner and the self-professed shaman Durek Verrett next summer STAVANGER, Norway -- The Norwegian king’s eldest child, Princess Märtha Louise, will marry her Hollywood partner, the self -professed shaman Durek Verrett, next summer, the couple announced Wednesday. King Harald V said in a statement that his family was “delighted to welcome” Verret, who is from California and claims to be a sixth-generation shaman . The Norwegian prince ss can trace her ancestry back to Britain’s Queen Victoria. The couple, who toured the country in 2019 as “The Princess and The Shaman,” have created waves in Norway with their alternative beliefs. For the past several years, Märtha Louise, 51, has said she can talk with angels, while Verret, 48, claims that he communicates with a broad range of spirits, wields ancient medicine and has a medallion which helps ward off heavy energies, spells and darkness. The wedding will take place on Aug. 24 in

'Close to fading': American caver speaks out about rescue from Turkish cave

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Mark Dickey spoke to ABC News' "Good Morning America" about the dramatic rescue. LONDON -- American caver Mark Dickey said he could tell he was "pretty close to fading" after he fell ill while on an expedition to map a 4,186-foot-deep cave system in southern Turkey. "There's not that much that you tell yourself. You kind of just survive," Dickey recalled during an interview Thursday with ABC News on "Good Morning America." The 40-year-old New Jersey native and New York resident was more than 3,400 feet below the surface inside the Morca Cave in the Taurus Mountains on Aug. 31 when he "suddenly became ill with intestinal problems that rapidly progressed into life-threatening bleeding and vomiting," according to the New Jersey Initial Response Team, a group of volunteers led by Dickey who specialize in cave and mine rescue s. Dickey's fiancée and fellow caver , Jessica Van Ord, said she had a difficult decision to make -- sta

Scientists call fraud on supposed extraterrestrials presented to Mexican Congress

The specter of UFOs and little green men visited Mexico City as lawmakers heard testimony from researchers suggesting the possibility that extraterrestrials might exist MEXICO CITY -- Supposed aliens landed in Mexico’s Congress but there were no saucer-shaped UFOs hovering over the historic building or bright green invaders like those seen in Hollywood films. The specter of little green men visited Mexico City as lawmakers heard testimony Tuesday from individuals suggesting the possibility that extraterrestrials might exist. The researchers hailed from Mexico, the United States, Japan and Brazil. The session, unprecedented in the Mexican Congress, took place two months after a similar one before the U.S. Congress in which a former U.S. Air Force intelligence officer claimed his country has probably been aware of “non-human” activity since the 1930s. Mexican journalist José Jaime Maussan presented two boxes with supposed mummies found in Peru, which he and others consider “non-human b

A rhino at an Austrian zoo kills a zookeeper and seriously injures her husband

Authorities say a rhinoceros at a zoo in Austria has attacked a married couple working as zookeepers, killing the woman and seriously injuring the man BERLIN -- A rhinoceros attacked a married couple working as zookeepers in Austria on Tuesday, killing the woman and seriously injuring the man as he attempted to save her, authorities said. The attack happened at the Hellbrunn Zoo in the western Austrian city of Salzburg. Zoo director Sabine Grebner told reporters that the 33-year-old woman, a German citizen from Bavaria, was assigned that day to put insect repellent on the rhino's body because they are very sensitive to insect bites. The 30-year-old female rhino, Jeti, attacked the keeper though it was not clear why, Austria’s APA news agency cited Grebner as saying. Salzburg police said the woman "succumbed to her injuries at the scene of the accident.” Attempts to resuscitate her were not successful. The other zookeeper , a 34-year-old Austrian citizen who was feeding other A

Stolen van Gogh painting worth millions recovered by Dutch art detective

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A Dutch art detective has helped recover a missing Vincent van Gogh painting that was stolen from the Singer Laren Museum, east of Amsterdam, in March 2020. LONDON -- A Dutch art detective has helped recover a missing Vincent van Gogh painting that was stolen from the Singer Laren Museum, east of Amsterdam, in March 2020. The "Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring," painted in 1884, was stolen from the famous Dutch museum in a daring overnight smash-and-grab heist during the coronavirus lockdown. Dutch art crime detective Arthur Brand, who has spent decades tracking down some of the world's greatest masterpieces, announced on Tuesday he had recovered the stolen masterpiece. An handout picture released by Dutch art detective Arthur Brand shows a portrait of him posing with the painting title "Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring", painted by Vincent van Gogh in 1884, at his home in Amsterdam on Sept. 11, 2023. Handout/ARTHUR BRAND/AFP via Getty Image MORE: Van

Ukraine claims to recapture Black Sea oil platforms seized during Crimea's annexation

The Ukrainian military says it recaptured strategic gas and oil drilling platforms from Russia in the Black Sea KYIV, Ukraine -- The Ukrainian military said Monday that it recaptured strategic gas and oil drilling platforms from Russia in the Black Sea and claimed gains in occupied areas near Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine left in ruins after the war's longest and deadliest fighting. The recapture of the so-called Boyko Towers platforms provides an energy source and takes back an asset that Russia seized in 2015 and used to launch helicopters, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said. “Russia has been deprived of the ability to fully control the waters of the Black Sea, and this makes Ukraine many steps closer to regaining Crimea,” the Main Intelligence Directorate said. The Russian Defense Ministry didn't make any immediate comment on the Ukrainian claim, but it has previously reported that Russian warplanes destroyed several Ukrainian speedboats in the area. Russian military