Syrian government, Kurdish forces extend ceasefire to transfer ISIS prisoners

Syria’s government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have extended their truce by 15 days to support a U.S.-led effort to transfer Islamic State group detainees from northeastern Syria to Iraq, both sides said Saturday. “The extension of the cease-fire comes in support of the American operation to transfer Islamic State detainees from SDF prisons to Iraq,” the Syrian defense ministry said in a statement. The SDF confirmed the extension, saying it was reached through international mediation and that dialogue with…

Demonstrations erupt after U.S. immigration agents shoot man in Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS — Federal immigration agents shot and killed a 37-year-old U.S. citizen during an immigration operation in Minneapolis, officials said, igniting protests and a political showdown as bystander video reviewed by Reuters appeared to contradict the government’s account. The Department of Homeland Security said a Border Patrol agent fired in self-defense after a man with a handgun resisted efforts to disarm him. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the man, identified by authorities and relatives as Alex…

Conflicting accounts emerge in shooting involving U.S. immigration agents

U.S. immigration agents fatally shoot Minneapolis man, igniting protests and political clash MINNEAPOLIS — A U.S. Border Patrol agent shot and killed a 37-year-old U.S. citizen during a federal immigration operation in Minneapolis on Saturday, officials said, sparking hours of street protests, emergency closures and a high-stakes confrontation between Minnesota leaders and the Trump administration over who controls the investigation. The Department of Homeland Security said an agent fired in self-defense after a man with a…

Ukraine accuses Putin of cynical missile barrage as Abu Dhabi talks resume

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, and KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine accused Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday of ordering massive missile and drone strikes as negotiators from Russia, Ukraine and the United States met in Abu Dhabi for a second day to discuss a plan to end the nearly four-year war. "Peace efforts? Trilateral meeting in the UAE? Diplomacy? For Ukrainians, this was another night of Russian terror," Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga wrote on X. "Cynically, Putin ordered a brutal massive missile strike against…

New Zealand landslide leaves little hope for survivors, police say

Police in New Zealand say there will likely be no survivors from a landslide that struck a busy campground at Mount Maunganui on the North Island, after human remains were found overnight and the operation shifted from rescue to recovery. Six people, including two teenagers, remain unaccounted for following the collapse, which was triggered by heavy rains on Thursday on the country’s east coast in Tauranga. Authorities said the slip sent a mass of soil and rubble down onto a campsite crowded with families on summer holidays.…

Australian 12-year-old dies after injuries sustained in shark attack

12-year-old boy dies after Sydney Harbour shark attack, family says SYDNEY — A 12-year-old boy who was bitten by a shark in Sydney Harbour has died of his injuries, his family said, following an attack that has intensified concern over a spate of shark incidents around Australia’s largest city. Nico Antic suffered critical injuries last week when a large shark attacked him as he and friends were jumping from a six-meter rock in Vaucluse, an eastern Sydney suburb on the harbor. He was pulled into a police boat while heavily…

Arctic blast, subfreezing cold and winter storm slam the United States

Arctic blast and sprawling winter storm set to sweep U.S., threatening crippling ice, travel chaos and power outages Snow has begun falling across parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas in a frosty prelude to a major winter storm expected to merge with bitter Arctic air and engulf much of the United States this weekend from the Rockies to the Eastern Seaboard. Forecasts warn of heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain coupled with dangerously low temperatures that could upend travel and trigger widespread power failures. At least 14…

Thousands endure bitter cold at Minneapolis protest urging ICE to leave

Thousands of demonstrators braved dangerous cold to march through Minneapolis and demand an end to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the city, part of a wider “ICE OUT!” action that organizers billed as a general strike. Organizers estimated as many as 50,000 people took to the streets despite temperatures that plunged to minus 29 Celsius. Minneapolis police did not provide a crowd estimate. Many protesters later moved indoors to the Target Center, the downtown arena that was more than half full. The…

Labour MPs convene amid Starmer rival Andy Burnham’s by-election bid

Labour MPs will meet Saturday amid mounting speculation that Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham could seek a return to Westminster in the Gorton and Denton by-election, a move that would test the prime minister’s authority and the party’s internal discipline. The gathering of Labour MPs from north-west England comes as senior figures weigh whether Burnham should be allowed to enter the race to succeed Andrew Gwynne, who formally resigned his Greater Manchester seat on Friday, triggering a by-election. Burnham has long…

Labour MPs convene as Starmer rival Andy Burnham eyes by-election bid

Labour MPs from northwest England will gather amid rising speculation that Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham could seek to stand in a forthcoming Westminster by-election in Gorton and Denton — a move that would test the Prime Minister’s authority and reshape Labour’s internal dynamics. The meeting comes as party figures weigh whether Burnham, long viewed as a potential rival for the party leadership, will enter the race triggered by the resignation of Andrew Gwynne, the former MP for the Greater Manchester seat. Burnham…