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London (CNN) - The US Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade on Friday has reverberated around the world, setting the country apart from its key allies on reproductive healthcare. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it "clearly has a massive impact on people's thinking around the world," and called the court's decision "a big step backwards." Other world leaders have also slammed the decision, with protests scheduled to take place across cities in Europe over the weekend. The move counters a global trend towards freer access to abortion, and places the US in a very small club of countries that have moved to restrict access in recent years. Some US allies have greater access to abortion Until Friday, the US was one of 56 countries where abortion was legal at a woman's request, with no requirement for justification, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It was generally in the company of other Western nations, since few deve...

The UK, US, Canada and Japan will ban imports of Russian gold in an effort to hit Moscow's ability to fund the war in Ukraine. The UK PM said the move would "strike at the heart of Putin's war machine". Gold exports were worth £12.6bn ($15.4bn) to Russia in 2021, and the UK says their importance has increased since the invasion as oligarchs rush to buy bullion to avoid sanctions. It comes as the G7 group of the world's richest nations meet in Germany. US President Biden suggested the other G7 nations - Germany, France and Italy - would also join the ban. "Together, the G7 will announce that we will ban the import of Russian gold, a major export that rakes in tens of billions of dollars for Russia," he said in a tweet. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson added: "We need to starve the Putin regime of its funding. The UK and our allies are doing just that." With London a major global trading hub for gold, the UK government said the move would have a h...

REDWOOD FALLS, Minn. (AP) — A partial skull that was discovered last summer by two kayakers in Minnesota will be returned to Native American officials after investigations determined it was about 8,000 years old. The kayakers found the skull in the drought-depleted Minnesota River about 110 miles (180 kilometers) west of Minneapolis, Renville County Sheriff Scott Hable said. Thinking it might be related to a missing person case or murder, Hable turned the skull over to a medical examiner and eventually to the FBI, where a forensic anthropologist used carbon dating to determine it was likely the skull of a young man who lived between 5500 and 6000 B.C., Hable said. “It was a complete shock to us that that bone was that old,” Hable told Minnesota Public Radio. The anthropologist determined the man had a depression in his skull that was “perhaps suggestive of the cause of death.” After the sheriff posted about the discovery on Wednesday, his office was criticized by several Native America...

At least two people were killed and 10 injured in a shooting at a nightclub in Oslo, Norway, early Saturday morning, according to Norwegian authorities, prompting officials to raise the terror alert. Investigators said the suspect, identified as a 42-year-old Norwegian citizen originally from Iran, was arrested after opening fire at three locations in downtown Oslo. Police said two men, one in his 50s and and the other his 60s, died in the shootings. Ten people were treated for serious injuries, but none of them was believed to be in life-threatening condition. Eleven others had minor injuries. The Norwegian Police Security Service raised its terror alert level from "moderate" to "extraordinary" — the highest level — after the attack, which sent panicked revelers fleeing into the streets or trying to hide from the gunman. The service's acting chief, Roger Berg, called the attack an "extreme Islamist terror act" and said the suspect had a "long his...

By WILL WEISSERT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Saturday signed the most sweeping gun violence bill in decades, a bipartisan compromise that seemed unimaginable until a recent series of mass shootings, including the massacre of 19 students and two teachers at a Texas elementary school. “Time is of the essence. Lives will be saved,” he said in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. Citing the families of shooting victims he has met, the president said, “Their message to us was, ‘Do something.’ How many times did we hear that? ‘Just do something. For God’s sake, just do something.’ Today we did.” The House gave final approval Friday, following Senate passage Thursday, and Biden acted just before leaving Washington for two summits in Europe. “Today we say, ‘More than enough,’” Biden said. “It’s time, when it seems impossible to get anything done in Washington, we are doing something consequential.” The legislation will toughen background checks for the youngest gun buyers, keep ...

By MARIA CHENG LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization said the escalating monkeypox outbreak in more than 50 countries should be closely monitored but does not warrant being declared a global health emergency. In a statement Saturday, a WHO emergency committee said many aspects of the outbreak were “unusual” and acknowledged that monkeypox — which is endemic in some African countries — has been neglected for years. “While a few members expressed differing views, the committee resolved by consensus to advise the WHO director-general that at this stage the outbreak should be determined to not constitute” a global health emergency, WHO said in a statement. WHO nevertheless pointed to the “emergency nature” of the outbreak and said controlling its spread requires an “intense” response. The committee said the outbreak should be “closely monitored and reviewed after a few weeks.” But it would recommend a re-assessment before then if certain new developments emerge — such as cases among ...

By EBRAHIM NOROOZI GAYAN, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghanistan’s deadly earthquake this week struck one of the poorest corners of a country that has been hollowed out by increasing poverty. Even as more aid arrived Saturday, many residents have no idea how they will rebuild the thousands of homes destroyed in villages strung through the mountains. The quake, which state media says killed at least 1,150 people, hit hardest in a region of high mountains where Paktika and Khost provinces meet by the Pakistani border. There is little fertile land, so residents eke out what they can while largely relying on money sent by relatives who have migrated to Pakistan, Iran or further abroad for jobs. Every one of the nearly two dozen homes in one village, Miradin, were reduced to rubble by Wednesday’s quake. In the rainy nights since, its several hundred residents have been sleeping in nearby woods and had still not received the aid that was slowly making its way into quake-hit areas. Miradin residents ...

 BY ZOE CHRISTEN JONES The international community is speaking out after Friday's landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, marking a major change in abortion rights in the United States.  In the dissenting opinion, the court's three liberal justices, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, wrote the U.S. "will become international outliers after today." Below is a look at the reactions of some of the world's highest leaders.  United Nations UN Secretary General spokesperson Stephane Dujarric on Friday reiterated the organization's position on abortion: "That sexual and reproductive health and rights are the foundation of a life of choice, empowerment and equality for the world's women and girls."  "It's also important to note that restricting access to abortion does not prevent people from seeking abortion; it only makes it more deadly," Dujarric added. "UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund...

By MARK SHERMAN WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Friday stripped away women’s constitutional protections for abortion, a fundamental and deeply personal change for Americans’ lives after nearly a half-century under Roe v. Wade. The court’s overturning of the landmark court ruling is likely to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states. The ruling, unthinkable just a few years ago, was the culmination of decades of efforts by abortion opponents, made possible by an emboldened right side of the court fortified by three appointees of former President Donald Trump. Both sides predicted the fight over abortion would continue, in state capitals, in Washington and at the ballot box. Justice Clarence Thomas, part of Friday’s majority, urged colleagues to overturn other high court rulings protecting same-sex marriage, gay sex and the use of contraceptives. Pregnant women considering abortions already had been dealing with a near-complete ban in Oklahoma and a prohibition after rough...

By John Bett - Audience Writer A Christian pastor believes that the cost of living crisis is a sign that the world is about to end - and that God is about reunited with his followers. Pastor Thomas Hughes claims the economic issues gripping the world are no mistake and are being deliberately destroyed for a greater purpose, as the Daily Star reports. He shares his views with his followers on YouTube, and his most recent video had more than 36,000 views. He said that people should 'prepare or get crushed' and that soon believers will be called up to 'meet the Lord in the air'. In the clip, he said: "The controlled demolition of food and energy infrastructure is now underway, prepare or get crushed. "I think that's strong advice and good advice. You know, people are upset over hearing words coming from Mike Adams or myself, or some of my other friends and colleagues saying, 'Hey, you better get ready for what's coming.' "Listen, we don't...

By MARI YAMAGUCHI TOKYO (AP) — An 83-year-old Japanese adventurer returned home Saturday after successfully completing his solo, nonstop voyage across the Pacific, becoming the oldest person to reach the milestone. Kenichi Horie arrived in the Kii Strait off Japan’s western coast, completing his trans-Pacific voyage in 69 days after leaving a yacht harbor in San Francisco in March. It was the latest achievement for the octogenarian adventurer, who in 1962 became the first person in the world to successfully complete a solo nonstop voyage across the Pacific from Japan to San Francisco. Sixty years later, he traveled the opposite route. “I just crossed the finish line. I’m tired,” he wrote in his blog after reaching Japan in the early hours of Saturday. He said that his sailing boat, Suntory Mermaid III, was to be toed after the sunrise for an expected arrival at his home port of Shin Nishinomiya yacht harbor in the evening. Local media said a welcome ceremony will be held Sunday. His ac...

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A courthouse in upstate New York was closed for fumigation Tuesday after hundreds of cockroaches were released during an altercation that broke out at an arraignment, according to court officials. The clash broke out during proceedings in Albany City Court for four people for an arrest at the state Capitol. A defendant who started to film the courtroom proceedings was told to stop. In the altercation that followed, hundreds of cockroaches brought into the courthouse in plastic containers were released, according to the state court system. The bug release was being investigated while the courthouse was closed for the rest of the day for fumigation. Court officers arrested a 34-year-old woman in the audience for charges related to the altercation, including disorderly conduct, obstructing governmental administration and tampering with physical evidence. She was released, and it was not immediately clear whether she had an attorney to speak on her behalf. “What transpi...

NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — A team of biologists recently hauled in the heaviest Burmese python ever captured in Florida, officials said. The female python weighed in at 215 pounds (98 kilograms), was nearly 18 feet long (5 meters) and had 122 developing eggs, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida said in a news release. The team used radio transmitters transplanted in male “scout” snakes to study python movements, breeding behaviors and habitat use, said Ian Bartoszek, wildlife biologist and environmental science project manager for the conservancy’s program. “How do you find the needle in the haystack? You could use a magnet, and in a similar way our male scout snakes are attracted to the biggest females around,” Bartoszek said. The team used a scout snake named Dionysus — or Dion for short — in an area of the western Everglades. “We knew he was there for a reason, and the team found him with the largest female we have seen to date.” Biologist Ian Easterling and intern Kyle Findley helped cap...

Amazon’s Alexa might soon replicate the voice of family members - even if they’re dead. The capability, unveiled at Amazon’s Re:Mars conference in Las Vegas, is in development and would allow the virtual assistant to mimic the voice of a specific person based on a less than a minute of provided recording. Rohit Prasad, senior vice president and head scientist for Alexa, said at the event Wednesday that the desire behind the feature was to build greater trust in the interactions users have with Alexa by putting more “human attributes of empathy and affect.” “These attributes have become even more important during the ongoing pandemic when so many of us have lost ones that we love,” Prasad said. “While AI can’t eliminate that pain of loss, it can definitely make their memories last.” In a video played by Amazon at the event, a young child asks “Alexa, can Grandma finish reading me the Wizard of Oz?” Alexa then acknowledges the request, and switches to another voice mimicking the child’s ...

LONDON (AP) — British officials said the monkeypox outbreak in the U.K. is growing across the country, mainly among men who are gay or bisexual, or other men who have sex with men. They urged those with new or multiple sex partners to be vigilant for the symptoms of monkeypox. In a technical briefing released on Friday, Britain’s Health Security Agency said their data show monkeypox is spreading in “defined sexual networks of gay, bisexual, or men who have sex with men.” Officials said there were no signs suggesting sustained spread beyond those populations. Of the 810 monkeypox cases in the U.K. to date, five are in women. Among patients who completed a detailed survey, 96% of those infected were men who were gay, bisexual or had sex with other men. Among the nearly 50 countries reporting monkeypox cases globally, Britain has the biggest outbreak beyond Africa. “If you are concerned that you may have monkeypox, don’t go to events, meet with friends or have sexual contact,” said Dr. Me...

By CIARÁN GILES and TARIK EL-BARAKAH RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Five Africans seeking to cross into Spain were killed and scores of migrants and police were injured in what Moroccan authorities called a “stampede” of people surging across Morocco’s border fence with the Spanish North African enclave of Melilla on Friday. A total of 133 migrants breached the border between the Moroccan city of Nador and Melilla on Friday, the first such mass crossing since Spain and Morocco mended diplomatic relations last month. A spokesperson for the Spanish government’s office in Melilla said about 2,000 people attempted to cross, but many were stopped by Spanish Civil Guard police and Moroccan forces on either side of the border fence. Morocco’s Interior Ministry said in a statement that the casualties occurred when people tried to climb the iron fence. It said five migrants were killed and 76 injured, and 140 Moroccan security officers were injured. The injured were hospitalized in Nador, it said. Spani...

By DAVID KEYTON, JOHN LEICESTER and YURAS KARMANAU KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — After weeks of ferocious fighting, Ukrainian forces have begun retreating from a besieged city in the country’s east to move to stronger positions, a regional governor said Friday, the four-month mark in Russia’s invasion. The planned withdrawal from Sievierodonetsk, the administrative center of the Luhansk region, comes after relentless Russian bombardment that has reduced most of the industrial city to rubble and cut its population from 100,0000 to 10,000. Ukrainian troops fought the Russians in house-to-house battles before retreating to the huge Azot chemical factory on the city’s edge, where they remain holed up in its sprawling underground structures in which about 500 civilians also found refuge. In recent days, Russian forces have made gains around Sievierodonetsk and the neighboring city of Lysychansk, on a steep bank across a river, in a bid to encircle Ukrainian forces. Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk hav...

The Ghana Federation of Disability Organizations (GFD) has called on Government to ensure the protection of the rights of members to make them fit into society. It said the wellbeing and rights of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) ‘‘did not tell a good story’’ with regards to the efforts made by the country to promulgate the Disability Act 715, of 2006. Mr Alexander Bankole Williams, Chairman of the National Advocacy Committee of GFD made the call at a panel discussion to commemorate the passage of the Disability Act 715, 2006 and to assess its progress after the implementation of the Act. The Act among other things provides for rights including unrestricted access to public places and buildings, free healthcare, employment, education and transportation. Ghana signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities in 2007 and ratified it in 2012 to become the 119th country in the world to do so and the 32nd in Africa. The Chairman said it was expected that there ...

The smell of fish, the sounds from aboard motors and the mild waves from the ocean, paint a cinematic picture of a busy working day at Prampram’s landing beaches. It was a Saturday morning and Abraham, a fisherman, patiently waited for his canoe to dock. Most canoes are anchored offshore until the fishermen are ready for the day’s business before they are brought onshore and prepared for the day’s activity. Abraham, who wore a light orange t-shirt with a winter jacket on top, loaded the canoe with two white barrels, one containing water and the other food items, and a gallon of premix product. One of his colleagues, who kept cranking the aboard motor in readiness for the day’s work, hilariously gave one of his colleagues the middle finger. He yelled back with a vulgar but popular Ga-Dangme word that appears to have gained currency as a blandishment. Other team members jumped into the canoe and headed west. Other canoes soon took after them.  On the canoe of Abraham is the biblical ...