Islamic State claims responsibility for knife attack in Solingen in which three people were killed
SOLINGEN, Germany (AP) — The Islamic State terrorist group has claimed responsibility for a knife attack in Solingen that killed three people, according to its news site Amaq. The group said Saturday that the attacker targeted Christians and was an “Islamic State soldier” who carried out the attack “to avenge Muslims in Palestine and elsewhere.” Police began raiding an asylum seekers’ home in downtown Solingen, including special forces, the German news agency DPA reported.
Harris doesn’t deviate from Biden’s focus on democracy. But she puts her own spin on it
CHICAGO (AP) — Before President Joe Biden withdrew his candidacy for re-election, he framed November’s election in grim and ominous terms: portraying Republican nominee Donald Trump as a threat to American democracy and questioning whether the country could survive if he won. The Democratic Party’s new nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, is not shying away from that message but putting her own spin on it. She is focusing less on the existential threat a second Trump term could pose to the country’s fundamental institutions and traditions. Instead, she is expanding Democrats’ definition of what is at stake in this election: It’s about preserving personal liberties.
Israeli airstrikes kill dozens of people in Gaza on the eve of high-level ceasefire talks in Egypt
CAIRO (AP) — Health workers say several Israeli airstrikes have killed at least three dozen Palestinians in southern Gaza, as government officials, including a Hamas delegation, meet for high-level ceasefire talks in neighboring Egypt. The U.S. delegation, led by CIA Director William Burns and White House Middle East adviser Brett McGurk, has been holding talks with senior Egyptian government officials and then with Egyptian and Qatari mediators. The war has killed over 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza and forced many into a shrinking “humanitarian zone.” One displaced woman says a “mercy bullet” would be better than the life that now awaits her.
Israeli evacuation orders push Palestinians into a shrinking “humanitarian zone” where food is scarce
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Israeli military is issuing evacuation orders for southern Gaza at an unprecedented pace. Over the past month, the orders have driven hundreds of thousands of Palestinians into already overcrowded tent camps. The evacuations are pushing Palestinians into an ever-shrinking “humanitarian zone” along the territory’s southern seafront. Even before the latest orders, the camps were overcrowded and lacking food, water and medical supplies. Thirteen evacuation orders have been issued since July 22, according to an Associated Press count. The overcrowding is visible in satellite images analyzed by AP.
Moscow and Kyiv exchange prisoners of war as Ukraine celebrates its Independence Day
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia and Ukraine have exchanged over 100 prisoners of war as Kiev marked its third Independence Day since Moscow’s full-scale invasion. Ukraine said the 115 soldiers released were conscripts, many of whom were captured in the early months of the Russian invasion. Among them are nearly 50 soldiers captured by Russian forces at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. The Russian Defense Ministry said the 115 Russian soldiers were captured in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces launched their surprise offensive against Russia two weeks ago. The ministry said the soldiers are currently in Belarus but will be brought to Russia for medical treatment and rehabilitation.
Portrait of a protester: A young man speaks of passion and plans before the Democratic Party Convention
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago has a long tradition of protest — and college student YM Masood has been immersed in it over the past few months, including at the Democratic National Convention. Masood was one of thousands of protesters outside the DNC. Their main message to the Democratic Party and its candidate, Kamala Harris, was clear: End the war in the Middle East. Stop giving aid to Israel. Although cameras often focused on clashes with police and arrests, the overwhelming majority marched peacefully and without major problems. Masood, a 20-year-old political science student at the University of Illinois Chicago, was often among them — serving as a volunteer steward at several DNC rallies and protests as part of the March on DNC, keeping order and minimizing conflict.
NASA decides to keep two astronauts in space until February, rejects return in problematic Boeing capsule
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA has decided it’s too risky to return two astronauts to Earth in Boeing’s new, troubled capsule. They’ll have to wait until February for a flight home with SpaceX. What was supposed to be a week-long test flight for the pair will now take more than eight months. Their trip to the International Space Station in June was marred by a series of engine failures and helium leaks. The astronauts ended up in a holding pattern while engineers conducted tests and discussed what to do for the return trip. The decision was finally made Saturday by NASA officials.
Conflicting federal policies can cause residents to incur higher flood insurance costs and expose them to greater risk
An Associated Press investigation has found that thousands of people may be paying more for their flood insurance or may be unaware of the dangers of dam failures because of inconsistent federal policies. The Federal Emergency Management Agency offers communities the opportunity to get discounts on their flood insurance by taking steps to reduce risk. One way is to share information about places that could flood if a dam fails. But some federal agencies, such as the Bureau of Reclamation, have restricted the release of flood maps for their dams. The bureau told the AP that it plans to loosen restrictions over the next eight years.
Nikki Haley in Taiwan says isolation policy is not healthy but expresses her support for Trump
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said a policy of isolation is not “healthy” as she called on the Republican Party to stand with her country’s allies during a visit to Taiwan. Running against Trump for the party’s presidential nomination, Haley told reporters Saturday that support from U.S. allies is crucial, underscoring the importance of a self-governing Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory. Although the U.S. does not officially recognize Taiwan, it is the island’s strongest supporter and main arms supplier. But Trump’s bid to reclaim the presidency has stoked concerns after he said Taiwan should pay for U.S. protection.
A rare orchid survives on some prairie areas. Researchers want to uncover its secrets
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The western prairie fringe orchid is a rare flowering plant that has declined due to the loss of its native prairie habitat. Researchers in North Dakota hope to learn more about its reproduction and its role in its ecosystem. The striking orchid has bright white, fringed flowers that delight its discoverers. The orchid is considered endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Hawk moths are the flowering plant’s only known pollinators and fly into the orchid only at night. Orchids may be an early indicator of an unnoticed decline in their habitat, a “canary in the coal mine for the rest of our ecosystems,” said one orchid expert.
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