International

Elon Musk said Friday his social media company X would scrap a feature that allows users to block posts from specific accounts."Block is going to be deleted as a 'feature', except for DMs," Musk posted, indicating the option would still be available for "direct messages" between users of the social media platform, formerly known as Twitter.The feature is used to restrict interaction with specific accounts on the platform.Musk has repeatedly cited a desire for free speech as motivating his changes, and lashed out at what he sees as the threat posed to free expression by changing cultural sensitivities.Since the tycoon bought the social media platform for $44 billion last October, its advertising business has collapsed, in part because of its looser approach to blocking hate speech, and the return of previously banned far-right accounts.According to nonprofit organisation the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), hate speech has flourished on the platform.X has disputed the findings and is suing the CCDH.In December, Musk reinstated former US president Donald Trump's Twitter account, although Trump has yet to return to the platform.The ex-president was banned from Twitter in early 2021 for his role in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol by a group of his supporters seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 election.X recently reinstated rapper and designer Kanye West around eight months after his account was suspended, according to media reports.Last fall, West, who now goes professionally by Ye, posted an image that appeared to show a swastika interlaced with a Star of David, and Musk suspended the artist from the platform.

Death toll from the Maui wildfires in the US State of Hawaii rose to 110, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said.The White House announced Wednesday that US President Joe Biden will head to Hawaii to "meet with first responders, survivors, as well as federal, state, and local officials" in Maui Monday.Last weeks fire leveled the historic town of Lahaina on the island of Maui and was the deadliest in the United States in more than a century. The death toll of 110 is expected to rise over the coming days.The cause of the wildfires, already the deadliest in the US in more than a century, is under investigation.The fire destroyed or damaged more than 2,200 buildings, 86% of them residential, and caused an estimated $5.5 billion in damage, authorities said. (QNA)

Gold prices stalled on Wednesday, a day after breaching the key USD 1,900 support level for the first time in 1-1/2 months as US Treasury yields were boosted on expectations the Federal Reserve is not yet finished with its rapid monetary tightening cycle.Spot gold held its ground at USD 1,903.50 per ounce, while US gold futures were flat at USD 1,935.60.Gold on Tuesday dropped to as low as USD 1,895.50 an ounce, its weakest level since end-June, as benchmark 10-year US Treasury yields hit an almost 10-month high, making them more attractive than non-interest-bearing bullion.Investors will later scan minutes from the Fed's July policy meeting for upcoming rate strategy.Elsewhere, spot silver rose 0.4 percent to USD 22.61 an ounce and platinum eased 0.1 percent to USD 887.29. Palladium gained 0.2 percent to USD 1,237.45.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called on Congress to swiftly approve a request for additional financial assistance to Ukraine worth USD 24.1 billion.During a press conference, Blinken stated that this request was part of efforts to support Ukraine at several levels, including military, economic and humanitarian.Blinken urged the Congress to immediately approve this request for additional funding.He also noted the continued support of the US and a number of other countries for Ukraine, in order to confirm long lasting peace in the region.Many Western countries, including the US has provided financial and military support to Ukraine since the outbreak of the crisis with Russia in February 2022.

Donald Trump faced a new raft of felony charges Tuesday after a Georgia grand jury used a law developed to take down organised crime gangs to charge the former US president with trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat.The charges, brought late on Monday by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, charge Trump, the front-runner in the race for the 2024 Republican nomination and 18 associates for a scheme intended to reverse his loss to Democrat Joe Biden.The sprawling 98-page indictment listed 19 defendants and 41 criminal counts in all. All the defendants were charged with racketeering, which is used to target members of organised crime groups and carries a minimum penalty of 5 years in prison.Mark Meadows, Trump's former White House chief of staff, and lawyers Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis and John Eastman were among those charged."Rather than abide by Georgia's legal process for election challenges, the defendants engaged in a criminal racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgia's presidential election result," Willis said at a press conference just before midnight.Trump and the other defendants have until noon EDT (1600 GMT) on Friday, Aug. 25, to surrender voluntarily, rather than face arrest, Willis said. She said she intends to try all 19 defendants together within six months.Court records show the case has been assigned to Judge Scott McAfee, a former prosecutor appointed in February by Republican Governor Brian Kemp. He will seek election next year to retain his position.Unlike the federal courts where Trump is also awaiting trial, Georgia state courts allow television cameras, meaning the public could have the unprecedented spectacle of watching a former president's trial on live TV as his campaign for a return to the White House goes into high gear.Echoing his criticism of the many other investigations he faces, Trump called the indictment a political "witch hunt" in a social media post and accused Willis, an elected Democrat, of trying to sabotage his presidential comeback bid.He said he would release a report on Monday on "Presidential Election Fraud" that would exonerate him. "They never went after those that Rigged the Election. They only went after those that fought to find the RIGGERS!" he said.Since his defeat in 2020, Trump has repeatedly made false claims that the election was marred by widespread fraud. Those claims have been rejected by dozens of courts, state reviews and members of his own administration.Outside of Georgia, Trump has pleaded not guilty in three other criminal cases. He could spend much of next year in court, even as he campaigns to retake the White House.He faces a New York state trial in March 2024 involving a hush money payment to an actress, and a federal trial beginning in May in Florida for allegedly mishandling federal classified documents.A third indictment, in Washington federal court, accuses him of illegally seeking to overturn his 2020 election defeat. US Special Counsel Jack Smith has requested a January trial, but a date has yet to be set.Willis' proposed timeline would mean Trump would face trial in Georgia by mid-February 2024.He also faces civil trials in October and January for fraudulent business practices and defamation.

Christian Monterrosa with Frankie Taggart in Washington Donald Trump was indicted Monday on charges of racketeering and a string of election crimes after a sprawling, two-year probe into his efforts to overturn his 2020 defeat to Joe Biden in the US state of Georgia.The case -- relying on laws typically used to bring down mobsters -- is the fourth targeting the 77-year-old Republican this year and could lead to a watershed moment, the first televised trial of a former president in US history.Prosecutors in Atlanta charged Trump with 13 felony counts -- compounding the legal threats he is facing in multiple jurisdictions as a firestorm of investigations imperils his bid for a second White House term.Eighteen co-defendants were indicted in the probe, including Trump's former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who pressured local legislators over the result after the election, and Trump's White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows.With Trump already due to go on trial in New York, south Florida and Washington, the latest charges herald the unprecedented scenario of the 2024 presidential election being litigated as much from the courtroom as the ballot box."Rather than abide by Georgia's legal process for election challenges, the defendants engaged in a criminal racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgia's presidential election result," Fulton County prosecutor Fani Willis told reporters.Willis said Trump and his co-defendants had until noon on August 25 to "voluntarily surrender" to authorities, adding that she would like to go to trial within six months."So, the Witch Hunt continues!" Trump posted on his Truth Social platform."Sounds Rigged to me! Why didn't they Indict 2.5 years ago? Because they wanted to do it right in the middle of my political campaign. Witch Hunt!"His lawyers' statement took issue with the "leak of a presumed and premature indictment before the witnesses had testified or the grand jurors had deliberated", in what they say has been a "flawed and unconstitutional" process.In response to similar allegations by the Trump campaign, Willis said: "I make decisions in this office based on the facts and the law. The law is completely nonpartisan."The twice-impeached Trump was charged with violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, as well as six conspiracy counts over alleged efforts to commit forgery, impersonate a public official and submit false statements and documents.He is also accused of lying in statements and filing fake documents, as well as soliciting public officials to break their oaths.- Most serious threat -Georgia, which Biden won by fewer than 12,000 votes, presents perhaps the most serious threat to Trump's liberty as he leads the field comfortably for his party's nomination to bid for reelection.Even if he is returned to the Oval Office, he would have none of the powers that presidents arguably enjoy in the federal system to pardon themselves or have prosecutors drop cases.The harsh penalties associated with RICO cases can be an incentive for co-defendants to seek cooperation deals, and the statutes are usually used to target organized crime.Thirty unindicted co-conspirators were mentioned in the indictment.Under federal law, anyone who can be connected to a criminal "enterprise" through which offenses were committed can be convicted under RICO. The broader Georgia law doesn't even require the existence of the enterprise.Atlanta-area authorities launched the probe after Trump called Georgia officials weeks before he was due to leave the White House, pressuring them to "find" the 11,780 votes that would reverse Biden's victory in the Peach State.Meadows, who is accused of trying to get a public official to violate his oath, was on the call.- Secret report -Willis empaneled a special grand jury that heard from around 75 witnesses before recommending a raft of felony counts in a secret report in February.She alleges that Trump's team worked with local Republicans on a scheme to replace legitimate slates of "electors" -- the officials who certify a state's results and send them to the US Congress -- with fake pro-Trump stand-ins.The indictment lists a litany of telephone calls made by Trump, Giuliani and others to various state officials for the purpose of unlawfully appointing fake electors to swing the Electoral College in Trump's favor.Giuliani faces 13 felony counts, including over accusations of harassment of two Fulton County poll workers.Other Trump allies were charged over the accessing of sensitive data from an election office in a rural county south of Atlanta one day after the 2021 Capitol riot.Trump is already facing dozens of felony charges after being federally indicted over the alleged plot to subvert the election, and further prosecutions over his alleged mishandling of classified documents and keeping allegedly fraudulent business records.Authorities in Atlanta installed security barricades outside the downtown courthouse in anticipation of a potential influx of Trump supporters and counter-protesters in the latest case.Lawmakers investigating Trump's efforts to cling to power heard evidence in a series

COVID infections and hospitalizations are on the rise in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Health officials are pointing at the EG.5 "Eris" coronavirus, a subvariant of the Omicron lineage that originally emerged November of 2021. WHAT IS THE NEW 'ERIS' VARIANT? The World Health Organization (WHO) classified EG.5, which has been nicknamed by some as "Eris", as a "variant of interest," indicating that it should be more closely watched than others because of mutations that might make it more contagious or severe. Still, the WHO said at this time it does not seem to pose more of a threat to public health than other variants and that there "is no evidence of an increase in disease severity directly associated with EG.5." HOW FAST IS 'ERIS' SPREADING? EG.5 had been found in more than 50 countries as of August 8, according to the WHO. It is the most common and fastest growing COVID-19 subvariant in the U.S., estimated to be responsible for around 17% of current COVID cases, according to the CDC. COVID-19 related hospitalizations are up more than 40% off of recent lows hit in June, but are still more than 90% below peak levels hit during the January 2022 Omicron outbreak, according to CDC data. The amount of virus identified in wastewater around the country and the number of weekly prescriptions for COVID treatment Paxlovid have all risen significantly over the past month, albeit from low levels. WHEN WILL THE NEW BOOSTER BE AVAILABLE? Pfizer/BioNTech SE, Moderna and Novavax have all created new versions of their vaccines updated to target another Omicron sublineage - XBB.1.5 - to more closely resemble the various circulating strains of the virus. EG.5 is similar to XBB.1.5 although the newer subvariant carries one mutation to its spike protein, the part of the virus targeted by the vaccine. XBB.1.5 emerged in late 2022 and was still responsible for more than 10% of infections as of August 5, per CDC estimates. CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen said in a recent interview that she expects the new vaccines to be widely available in the U.S. by the third or fourth week in September. Cohen did not address the Eris variant specifically, but said "right now what we're seeing with the changes in the viruses, they're still susceptible to our vaccine, they're still susceptible to our medicines, they're still picked up by the tests. So all of our tools still work as the virus changes."

A new COVID vaccine is due out next month, but health experts and analysts say it is likely to be coolly received even as hospitalizations from "Eris", a variant of the Omicron form of the coronavirus, rise around the country.Some public health experts hope that Americans will welcome the new shot as they would a flu jab. But demand for the vaccine has dropped sharply since 2021 when it first became available and more than 240 million people in the U.S., or 73% of the population, received at least one shot.In the fall of 2022, by which time most people had either had the COVID virus or the vaccine, fewer than 50 million people got the shots.Healthcare providers and pharmacies such as CVS Health will start next month to offer the shot, updated to fight the Omicron version of the virus that has been dominant since last year.They will be fighting declining concern about the virus, as well as fatigue and skepticism about the merits of this vaccine, Kaiser Family Foundation Director of Survey Methodology Ashley Kirzinger said."Public health officials, if they want to see a majority of adults get these annual vaccines, they're going to have to make the case to the American public that COVID isn't over and it still poses a risk to them," Kirzinger said.The top reason vaccinated people gave in KFF surveys earlier this year for eschewing annual shots was they believed they had protection from the virus because of previous shots or infections, she said.COVID-19 vaccine makers have pared back expectations for this fall's vaccination campaign, with Pfizer - the largest maker of mRNA shots with BioNTech - recently warning that it might need to cut jobs if it does not do well. Its biggest rival, Moderna, conceded demand could be as few as 50 million shots.Last year, Pfizer and Moderna's vaccine sales topped $56 billion worldwide; analysts project around $20 billion for this year.Jefferies analyst Michael Yee said he does not expect the autumn campaign to reach last year's."Take a look at what happened last winter. It was 50 million in the US, and it seems likely to be lower than that, given that there's less concern about COVID this year than last year," Yee said.POST PANDEMIC VACCINEThe COVID public health emergency ended in May and the government has handed much of the duty of vaccinating America to the private sector. Over 1.1 million people in the United States have died from COVID, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).CDC Director Mandy Cohen said last week in a podcast that she expects the shots - which still need to be authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and recommended by the CDC - to be rolled out in the third or fourth week of September. She suggested Americans should view these shots as an annual measure to protect oneself, in line with the annual flu shot.As with the flu, Pfizer/BioNTech SE, Moderna and Novavax, have created versions of the COVID vaccine to try to match the variant they believe will be circulating this fall. The shots are aimed at XBB.1.5, a subvariant that is similar to EG.5 and also a sub-lineage of the still dominant Omicron variant.COVID-19 related hospitalizations are up more than 40% off of recent lows hit in June, but are still more than 90% below peak levels hit during the January 2022 Omicron outbreak, according to CDC data.THE EVIDENCESome doctors suggest that annual shots should be targeted at the elderly and other high risk people, who are most likely to have dire outcomes if they catch COVID-19.Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious diseases specialist at Vanderbilt University and a liaison to the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization practices, said it is possible that the ACIP could make a weaker recommendation for younger, healthier people. That could also affect demand."Should children really receive this booster?" Schaffner said. "Should the average person with no underlying illness who is a younger adult receive this vaccine or should this vaccine now be a more targeted vaccine?"The CDC recommended children get a single dose of last year's updated vaccine for those aged 6 and older.Dr. David Boulware, an infectious diseases specialist at the University of Minnesota, said that according to research he has published, people who are boosted have less severe symptoms for a shorter duration."When you look at what you can do to reduce your duration of illness, even if you do get sick, being boosted is going to be the best way to do that," he said.

Amazon revealed that it is developing two chips dedicated to artificial intelligence operations called Inferentia and Trainium.The two new chips developed by Amazon Cloud Computing (Amazon Web Services AWS) aim to help the company's customers develop the artificial intelligence large language models (LLMs) on its AWS servers with its processors without the need to use Nvidia chips, as Amazon seeks to compete with Nvidia, the leading manufacturer of artificial intelligence chips, the most important of which are Grace Hopper Superchips."How quickly can these companies move to develop these generative AI applications is driven by starting first on the data they have in AWS and using compute and machine learning tools that we provide," said Vice President of Technology at AWS Mai-Lan Tomsen Bukovec.She added that many customers are used to using these servers and tools at Amazon, as it currently has over 100,000 customers using AWS in machine learning.Amazon has expertise in developing custom electronic chips, having started ten years ago with the development of the Nitro chip, in which the company says there is at least one chip in each of its servers.

Microsoft announced that it had launched a new version of the backup application for Windows 10 users.The new application appeared after Microsoft launched a recent update bearing the number 19045.3391 for testing for users of the beta version of Windows 10.Users can access the new application through the start menu and then choose Windows Backup from the list of programs. In addition, the application allows users to copy files and folders to the user's account in the OneDrive cloud.The application also allows remembering installed programs, installed program preferences, saving Windows settings, remembering Wi-Fi passwords and other passwords, and backing up all of this on the OneDrive account, noting that the application does not currently provide the option to restore files and settings, which enhances speculation that the application will be a tool to help move from Windows 10 to Windows 11.Windows 10 is scheduled to reach the end of support within one year, and Microsoft has already made it clear that users should not expect updates that add new features or major changes. Despite that, the company continues to support Windows 10 with essential security fixes and small changes to improve the user experience, including assistance with upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11.Microsoft announced the new application for the first time in May with one of the beta updates for Windows 11, which will be available when the official Windows update is launched soon.

US President Joe Biden's landmark climate action plan may have been trailed by billions of dollars in clean energy investment, but its potential to reshape trade lines has strained ties with allies.The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), signed into law on August 16 last year, directs some $370 billion in subsidies toward America's energy transition, including tax breaks for US-made electric vehicles and batteries.But the incentives, which boost American manufacturing after years of offshoring, have triggered fears that they could draw businesses out of other countries."This was really the United States coming into the game in a big way," said Joshua Meltzer, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.Europe had been subsidizing the development of clean technologies since before the IRA, as had China and others, Meltzer noted.But Washington's entry "meant that for these subsidies to remain competitive they had to be continued or raised," he told AFP.- 'Unintended consequences' -The legislation had some "unintended consequences" in constraining trade with key US allies, said Jeffrey Schott, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.A sticking point was a consumer tax credit of up to $7,500 for the purchase of electric vehicles (EVs) assembled in North America.To qualify for the full credit, vehicle batteries should also have a percentage of critical minerals sourced from America or countries with which it has free-trade pacts, leaving the European Union and, initially, Japan in the cold.This drew ire from those countries, and US officials eventually expanded access to the clean vehicle subsidies, noting in March that the free trade agreement requirement could also include newly negotiated critical minerals deals.This includes one that Japan had inked with the United States just shortly earlier -- opening doors to benefits from some subsidies."Part of the initial friction was because... the last revisions of the IRA were done in haste and in secret," said Schott.There appeared to be a "lack of understanding that US allies were not all US free-trade partners," he added, leading to some "creative accounting" by the Treasury Department in defining how the law would be implemented.Meltzer said that the United States "quite quickly tried to respond to these concerns by negotiating these kind of bilateral deals," referring to Japan's pact and the EU's efforts toward a similar accord.This alleviated many concerns, he said.- Partnerships and relocations –Canada, which warned about the risks of a subsidy war, has since responded by matching certain IRA incentives with those of its own.In April, it announced up to 13.2 billion Canadian dollars ($9.8 billion) in subsidies over 10 years for Volkswagen's first overseas battery plant in Ontario.Elsewhere, South Korea's largest automaker Hyundai is hoping to produce US-assembled electric cars eligible for subsidies at a site under construction in Georgia.Other South Korean companies have forged partnerships with US ones to build assembly lines meeting IRA requirements, such as battery maker Samsung SDI's joint venture with General Motors to build an EV battery plant in the US."The IRA would benefit the US through additional output and lower strategic dependence vis-a-vis China," said an analysis by three European Central Bank economists in July."The US would gain from positive relocation effects, increasing production by six percent to 30 percent in electrical and optical equipment," the economists said in a column on the Centre for Economic Policy Research's policy portal.This comes mainly at China's expense, and to a smaller degree the EU's, the economists said.While the relocation involves a relatively small share of total output, losses in specific sectors can be more substantial.Since the climate law was signed, at least $75 billion in new manufacturing investments has been announced, according to policy analyst Jack Conness of think tank Energy Innovation: Policy and Technology.IRA green subsidies may be "of similar size" to those available in the EU, but the US clean-tech subsidies are "simpler and less fragmented," said European think tank Bruegel in a report this year.Such factors could make the US subsidies more attractive to businesses, at a time when Europe also faces rising energy costs following Russia's invasion of Ukraine."If you're in an energy-intensive sector such as chemicals... the US looks increasingly attractive," Meltzer said."It's a broader set of factors, I think, that are creating competitive challenges in Europe," he said. "The IRA is a part of that... but it's not everything."

The Miss Universe Organization has cut ties with its Indonesia franchise, it announced days after allegations of sexual harassment, and will cancel an upcoming Malaysia edition.In the complaint, more than a half dozen women said all 30 finalists for Miss Universe Indonesia were unexpectedly asked to strip for a supposed body check for scars and cellulite two days before the pageant's crowning ceremony in Jakarta.Their lawyer said Tuesday that five of the women had their pictures taken."In light of what we have learned took place at Miss Universe Indonesia, it has become clear that this franchise has not lived up to our brand standards, ethics, or expectations," the US-based Miss Universe Organization posted Saturday night on social media site X, formerly known as Twitter.It said that it had "decided to terminate the relationship with its current franchise in Indonesia, PT Capella Swastika Karya, and its National Director, Poppy Capella."It thanked the contestants for their bravery in coming forward and added that "providing a safe place for women" was the organization's priority.Jakarta police spokesman Trunoyudo Wisnu Andiko said Tuesday that an investigation into the women's complaint has been launched.The Indonesia franchise also holds the license for Miss Universe Malaysia, where there will no longer be a competition this year, according to the New York-based parent organizer.In a lengthy statement posted to Instagram, Indonesia franchise director Capella denied involvement in any body checks."I, as the National Director and as the owner of the Miss Universe Indonesia license, was not involved at all and have never known, ordered, requested or allowed anyone who played a role and participated in the process of organizing Miss Universe Indonesia 2023 to commit violence or sexual harassment through body checking," she wrote.She added that she is against "any form of violence or sexual harassment."The Jakarta competition was held from July 29 to August 3 to choose Indonesia's representative to the 2023 Miss Universe contest, and was won by Fabienne Nicole Groeneveld.Miss Universe said it would make arrangements for her to compete in the finale, scheduled for November in El Salvador.This year's Indonesia pageant also came under fire for announcing a "significant change in this (year's) competition guidelines" with the elimination of its minimum height requirement after it had crowned a winner.In its statement, the Miss Universe Organization said it wanted to "make it extremely clear that there are no measurements such as height, weight, or body dimensions required to join a Miss Universe pageant worldwide."

When Anthony La Puente made it back to the place he had called home for the last 16 years, there was almost nothing left.His house, like most in Lahaina, had been razed by the wildfire that swept through this slice of Hawaiian paradise."The only thing I can say is that it hurts. It takes a toll on you emotionally," the 44-year old said."It sucks not being able to find the things you grew up with, or the things you remember."La Puente was one of dozens of people who were allowed back into what used to be Lahaina on Friday.The 12,000-strong town, which has stood on the island of Maui for hundreds of years, was once the proud home of the Hawaiian royal family.Thousands of tourists visit every year to soak up the atmosphere, to wander along the scenic harbor front, and to idle under a majestic banyan tree reputed to be the oldest in the United States.- 'You made it!' -An AFP team that walked through the town on Friday found the blackened corpses of cats, birds and other animals caught in flames that also killed at least 67 people.Electricity cables dangled uselessly from stricken poles, and small pockets of fire continued to burn.Spray-painted Xs marked the skeletal vehicles that lay in the street -- a sign to firefighters they have been checked for victims.All through the town, there were piles of still-warm ashes where family homes once stood.Using the metal frame of a chair as a makeshift shovel, La Puente sifted through what was once his kitchen, uncovering a Starbucks tumbler.But the boxes of photographs and the mementoes from his 16 years in the house were gone -- including the treasured items of his late father."I had packed up my dad's belongings" hoping to sort through them at some point, he said. But that will never happen."Now it's gone."Elsewhere there was shocked elation as neighbors hugged."You made it!" cried Chyna Cho, as she embraced Amber Langdon amid the ruins. "I was trying to find you."For Keith Todd there was the unspeakable relief of finding his home still standing, his solar panels still pumping electricity to his kitchen."I just couldn't believe it," Todd told AFP."I'm so grateful, but at the same time it's so devastating," he said, looking around at the unrecognizable piles that were once his neighbors' homes.Todd was resolved to stay at his house, fearful of the looters that people say have been targeting empty properties."I will stay here, now that I know my house and my things are here. I will sleep here just in case someone tries to come in," he said.- Banyan tree -Here and there in the warscape were pockets of improbable hope.The Maria Lanakila Catholic Church was seemingly unscathed, looming over the ashes of Waine'e Street, a small fire burning in front of it like some kind of perverse Eternal Flame.The stone walls of the historic Hale Pa'ahao prison still stood, but the wooden building that was used to punish unruly sailors was no more -- 170 years of history wiped out.Blocks away, Front Street, where restaurants had jostled with clothing stores for a view of the ocean, was all but gone.Boats that had been moored in the harbor days earlier were blackened, melted or sunk.Among the ruins, the huge banyan tree still stood upright, its branches denuded of green and its sooty trunk transformed into an awkward skeleton.The tree has dominated Lahaina for 150 years, watching over an island that was an independent monarchy, then a US territory, and finally a full US state.But the city it once guarded is now gone.

An earthquake measuring 4.8 magnitude on the Richter scale hit Thursday Ucayali Province in eastern Peru.The Geophysical Institute of Peru (IGP) said that the epicenter of the earthquake occurred 42 km from the city of Pucallpa, at a depth of 153 km.There have been no reports of casualties or material damage as a result of the earthquake so far.On June 8, an earthquake of 5.4 magnitude hit the coast of Arequipa, southwestern Peru, at a depth of 35 km.Peru is exposed to at least 400 earthquakes every year due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Stocks mostly fell Thursday ahead of much-anticipated US inflation data, which comes against a backdrop of renewed concerns that the Federal Reserve could announce another interest rate hike before the end of the year.The feel-good factor that characterised much of July has given way to uncertainty about the US central bank's plans following a mixed jobs report and warnings from policymakers that more was needed to finally get prices under control.Ongoing weakness in China's economy -- and lack of concrete action by authorities to address it -- are also taking their toll on investor sentiment, helping to drive a retreat in global markets in recent weeks.All eyes are on the release later Thursday of the US consumer price index for last month, a closely watched gauge of inflation that plays a key role in the Fed's decision-making on monetary policy.While rate hikes have dampened steep price rises -- from a four-decade high of 9.1 percent in June last year to three percent now -- observers warned officials would find it harder to get inflation back down to its two percent target.After falling for 12 straight months, forecasts are for a slight uptick in the CPI, partly because of rising oil costs.However, core inflation is tipped to ease again, which commentators said should allow the Fed to stand pat on rates at its next meeting in September.The US central bank hiked in July but indicated that could be the last such move, after more than a year of tightening.Fawad Razaqzada, at City Index and Forex.com, said a "small beat" would be tolerable for investors."A goldilocks outlook in the US is what stock market investors on Wall Street have been enjoying this year -- until the recent weakness," he said in a note."They will be looking for signs that the health and sentiment of the consumer remains positive, enough not to increase the risks of a further Fed rate increase, and yet not too depressing to raise recession alarm bells."All three main indexes on Wall Street ended in the red Wednesday, dragged by tech firms, and Asia largely followed suit.Hong Kong, Seoul, Wellington, Mumbai, Bangkok, Taipei and Manila were all down, though Tokyo, Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore and Jakarta edged up slightly.London fell at the open but Paris and Frankfurt rose.Investors are keeping tabs on China, hoping for measures to support the ailing economy, after news that the country had slipped into deflation for the first time in more than two years and exports plunged at their fastest pace since the early days of the pandemic.With China being a key driver of global growth, the long-running slowdown is fuelling concerns about possible spillover effects.There was also a little nervousness after President Joe Biden signed an executive order directing the Treasury to restrict certain US investments in China in sensitive high-tech sectors, including semiconductors, quantum computing and artificial intelligence.Beijing hit out at the move, saying it "severely disrupts the security of global industrial and supply chains".The order came even as the two sides have been trying to iron out some differences, after years of tensions.Oil prices dipped slightly but held their recent gains, with both main contracts at multi-month highs, on worries about Russian supplies following a Ukrainian attack on one of the country's tankers.Output cuts by Moscow and OPEC giant Saudi Arabia were also providing strong support to the market, analysts said.- Key figures around 0715 GMT -Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.8 percent at 32,473.65 (close)Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.2 percent at 19,201.12Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.3 percent at 3,254.56 (close)London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.1 percent at 7,579.25Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0994 from $1.0975 on WednesdayPound/dollar: UP at $1.2727 from $1.2720Euro/pound: UP at 86.38 from 86.26 penceDollar/yen: UP at 143.97 yen from 143.38 yenWest Texas Intermediate: FLAT at $84.43 per barrelBrent North Sea crude: UP 0.1 percent at $87.61 per barrelNew York - Dow: DOWN 0.5 percent at 35,123.36 (close)

Google announced a native translation integration within the Gmail mobile app that will enable users to seamlessly communicate in a wide range of languages. To translate messages on mobile, simply select "Translate" on the dismissible banner and choose the preferred language.A new dismissible banner appears when the content language of a message is different from the "Google.com Mail display language" in the account settings. Users can also choose to have Gmail always translate or never translate specific languages. Alternatively, Gmail users can choose to have the app always translate or never translate specific languages.The feature is available for iOS and Android smartphones.

Snapchat has announced that Dark Mode is now available to all Android users.Previously, users had to have a Snapchat+ subscription in order to access the feature. However, the company has now confirmed that dark mode is available to all users.Users can activate the 'Dark Mode' option by updating the app to the latest version in the App Store, then opening Settings, tapping 'App Appearance', and then selecting the 'Always Dark' option. It is also possible to turn off Dark Mode by selecting the 'Always Light' option.

The United Nations has said it reached agreement with the Syrian government on aid deliveries to rebel-held areas from Turkey, raising concern among relief groups who had wanted Damascus kept out.Under a 2014 deal, most international aid had passed through the Bab al-Hawa crossing from Turkey without the authorization of Damascus.But last month, the Security Council failed to reach consensus on extending the mechanism, and the UN said a subsequent Syrian offer to keep the crossing open for another six months contained "unacceptable" conditions.Late Tuesday, a UN spokesperson said that "the secretary general welcomes the understanding reached yesterday (Monday) by the United Nations and the government of Syria on the continued use for the next six months of the Bab al-Hawa border crossing".The deal followed engagement between UN humanitarian affairs chief Martin Griffiths and Damascus for the UN and its partners to keep providing assistance "at the necessary scale and in a principled manner that allows engagement with all parties... and that safeguards the UN's operational independence", the statement said.The Syrian government's previous conditions included that the UN cooperate with it fully and not communicate with "terrorist organizations" -- a reference to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a jihadist group formerly affiliated with Al-Qaeda that controls the Syrian side of the Bab al-Hawa crossing.Several international organizations had expressed fear that allowing Damascus control over the flow of aid to rebel-held areas could result in limiting access to those most in need.More than four million people live in rebel-held areas of northern and northwestern Syria, many of them in overcrowded, impoverished displacement camps."The consent reaffirmed by Syria in recent days provides a basis for the UN and its partners to lawfully conduct cross-border humanitarian operations through Bab al-Hawa," the UN statement said.- 'Removal of certainty' -The International Rescue Committee voiced alarm at the announcement."We are concerned that the removal of certainty and security provided by Security Council authorization will impact the ability of humanitarian organizations, and particularly Syrian NGOs, to operate effectively," the relief group said in a statement."The Security Council resolution was one guarantee that provided communities in the northwest some comfort knowing their access to lifesaving assistance was supported and protected by the international community."The IRC added that the deal's expiry in February "at the height of next year's winter season, raises significant concerns about the ability of the response to scale up to meet needs given the lack of predictability."The UN announcement came just hours after it said Syria had extended for another three months the use of two other crossings -- Bab al-Salam and Al-Rai -- which were opened following a devastating February 6 earthquake.Civil war broke out in Syria after President Bashar al-Assad's government crushed peaceful protests in 2011. The conflict has killed nearly half a million people and driven half of the country's pre-war population from their homes.Russia last month vetoed a nine-month extension of the Bab al-Hawa mechanism then failed to muster enough votes to adopt a six-month extension.Damascus regularly denounces the UN aid deliveries as a violation of its sovereignty. Its ally Moscow has been chipping away at the Security Council deal for years.

A player in Florida won a $1.58bn Mega Millions lottery jackpot on Tuesday, the lottery website showed.The winning numbers drawn were 13, 19, 20, 32, 33, and the Megaplier was 14, according to the Mega Millions website.The winner can choose between receiving the $1.58 billion in annual payments, or taking a lump sum cash payment of $783.3mn.The last Mega Millions jackpot was won by a player in New York in April, at $20mn.A $2.04bn Powerball jackpot in November 2022 ranks as the record highest lottery prize, according to media reports.

More than 3,000 US military personnel have arrived in the Red Sea aboard two warships, as part of increased deployments after tanker seizures by Iran, the US Navy said Monday.The US sailors and Marines entered the Red Sea on Sunday after transiting through the Suez Canal in a pre-announced deployment, the US Navy's Fifth Fleet said in a statement.They arrived on board the USS Bataan and USS Carter Hall warships, providing "greater flexibility and maritime capability" to the Fifth Fleet, the statement added.The US military says Iran has either seized or attempted to take control of nearly 20 internationally flagged ships in the region over the past two years.USS Bataan is an amphibious assault ship which can carry fixed-wing and rotary aircraft as well as landing craft. The USS Carter Hall, a dock landing ship, transports Marines, their gear, and lands them ashore."These units add significant operational flexibility and capability as we work... to deter destabilising activity and deescalate regional tensions caused by Iran's harassment and seizures of merchant vessels," Fifth Fleet spokesman Commander Tim Hawkins told AFP.The deployment comes after Washington said its forces blocked two attempts by Iran to seize commercial tankers in international waters off Oman on July 5.The maritime services in Iran said one of the two tankers, the Bahamian-flagged Richmond Voyager, had collided with an Iranian vessel, seriously injuring five crew members, according to state news agency IRNA.In April and early May, Iran seized two oil tankers within a week in regional waters.Those incidents came after Israel and the United States blamed Iran in November for what they said was a drone strike against a tanker operated by an Israeli-owned firm carrying gas oil off the coast of Oman.The US announced last month that it would deploy a destroyer, F-35 and F-16 warplanes, along with the Amphibious Readiness Group/Marine Expeditionary Unit, to the Middle East to deter Iran from seizing ships in the Gulf.Last week, a US official told AFP that Washington is also preparing to deploy Marines and Navy personnel aboard commercial tankers transiting the Gulf as an added layer of defence.