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Facebook Tweet Email Link French swimmer Léon Marchand took more than a second off the 200-meter individual medley world record on Wednesday to shatter American Ryan Lochte’s long-standing mark. Competing in the semifinals at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, Marchand clocked a time of 1:52.69 – 1.31 seconds faster than Lochte’s record set in 2011. He may go even faster in Thursday’s final, during which he will look to win a sixth world title and add to the four Olympic gold medals he claimed at last year’s Paris Games. “What’s crazy is that it’s a whole second (faster than…

Facebook Tweet Email Link Monaco AP  —  Clarifying promised rules on female eligibility, track and field’s governing body set a September 1 deadline Wednesday for athletes to pass a gene test for competing at the world championships. World Athletics said in March it would require chromosome testing by cheek swabs or dry blood-spot tests for female athletes to be eligible for elite-level events. The next worlds open September 13 in Tokyo and September 1 is “the closing date for entries and the date the regulations come into effect,” World Athletics said in a statement. The latest rules update gives certainty…

Facebook Tweet Email Link When the Turkmenistan government announced new streamlined visa regulations in April, people familiar with traveling to the Central Asian nation were unsure what to make of it. Not that there are many such experts — along with North Korea and Eritrea, Turkmenistan has long been considered one of the globe’s most isolated countries, a legacy that dates to the 1990s when the nation broke away from the disintegrating Soviet Union and turned inward, settling into a sealed-off, independent authoritarianism. For certain travelers, though, especially those who gravitate toward conflict zones and geopolitical oddities, Turkmenistan’s impenetrability has…

Facebook Tweet Email Link For months President Donald Trump has been slapping higher tariffs on practically every country’s exports to the United States, citing emergency economic powers. Now, just as he’s about to enact a new round of tariffs, a federal appeals court could render them void. Oral arguments are scheduled Thursday for an appeal in a case alleging Trump overstepped his legal authority to impose many of his sweeping tariffs. Five small business owners and 12 Democratic states are arguing that Trump can’t use a law known as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 to enact those…

Over 60 people were killed in northern Gaza after Israeli forces opened fire near an aid site Wednesday, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. About 600 others were injured, Yousef Abu al-Rish, undersecretary of the Gaza Ministry of Health, told CNN. “Al-Shifa Medical Complex has received 50 martyrs and 300 injured,” Dr. Mohammad Abu Salmiya, director of Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, told CNN, adding that there are “approximately 20 martyrs and 100 injuries” in three other nearby hospitals. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said the incident happened while Palestinians were waiting for aid near the Zikim area in northwestern…

Facebook Tweet Email Link Kyiv, Ukraine  —  Russia says its force have captured the key town of Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine after nearly 18 months of fighting in the area. The Ukrainian military confirmed Thursday that Russian forces had attacked locations near Chasiv Yar, which lies several miles west of Bakhmut. But it denied the town had been lost and said Ukrainian units were “holding defense” without providing further details. The Russian Defense Ministry published drone footage showing its troops in parts of the town and said more than 4,200 buildings and structures had been cleared, with about 50…

Facebook Tweet Email Link Americans’ support for Israel’s military actions in Gaza is dropping rapidly, prompting pro-Israel Democrats and some of President Donald Trump’s long-time allies to warn that the country could permanently damage its standing in the United States. A Gallup poll released this week found that just 32% of US adults support Israel’s military actions in Gaza — a record low since the war was launched in response to Hamas’ October 7, 2023, terror attack. The poll also found the strongest partisan split yet: Support among those who identify themselves as Republicans remained strong, at 71%. But just…

Facebook Tweet Email Link While country music and cowboy culture are often associated with the US, what was billed as Africa’s first ever International Cowboys and Cowgirls Day showed how popular the genre is becoming in Kenya. Held last Saturday at Nairobi’s Ngong Racecourse, the event drew hundreds of fans dressed in boots, cowboy hats and denim. At the heart of the festivities was Sir Elvis, Kenya’s beloved country music ambassador, whose performance was a major draw for both longtime fans and curious newcomers. Alongside the performances, attendees enjoyed mechanical bull rides, shopped for Western wear and took part in…

Facebook Tweet Email Link For the first time, archaeologists have used advanced scientific techniques on 4,000-year-old dental plaque to confirm traces of betel nut chewing in ancient Thai communities. Betel nuts are usually chewed as “quids,” a mix of slaked lime and ground betel nuts—which contain psychoactive compounds that boost energy, alertness, euphoria, and relaxation—wrapped in a betel leaf. The stimulant, which can leave a red, brown or black stain on the teeth, is thought to be the world’s fourth most commonly used psychoactive substance, after caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine, with hundreds of millions of users globally. In the past,…

Facebook Tweet Email Link Reuters  —  A Swedish man was found guilty of serious war crimes and terrorism on Thursday over his role in the murder of a Jordanian air force pilot who was burned to death in Syria a decade ago, the Stockholm district court said in a verdict. The Swede, identified in court documents as Osama Krayem, was sentenced to life in prison for participating in the execution of Muath al-Kasasbeh, who was burned alive in a cage after being captured in Syria in December 2014. Krayem, 32, has previously been convicted of involvement in attacks in Paris…