Fresh clashes break out in Syria as the interim government struggles to ease tensions
In the north, government-affiliated fighters confronted Kurdish-led forces who control much of the region, while in the southern province of Sweida, they clashed with Druze armed groups.
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CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
Tennessee executes inmate by lethal injection without deactivating his implanted defibrillator
Tennessee executed an inmate Tuesday without deactivating his implanted defibrillator, despite uncertainty about whether the device would shock his heart when the lethal chemicals took effect. Byron Black was executed after a back-and-forth in court over whether officials would need to turn off his implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, or ICD. Black, 69, was in a wheelchair, had dementia, brain damage, kidney failure, congestive heart failure and other conditions, his attorneys have said. The nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center said it's unaware of any other cases in which an inmate was making similar claims to Black's about ICDs or pacemakers. Black's attorneys said they haven't found a comparable case, either. In mid-July, a trial court judge agreed with Black's attorneys that officials must have the instrument deactivated to avert the risk that it could cause unnecessary pain and prolong the execution. But the state Supreme Court intervened Thursday to overturn that decision, saying the other judge lacked authority to order the change. The state disputed that the lethal injection would cause Black's defibrillator to shock him and said he wouldn't feel them regardless. Black was convicted in the 1988 shooting deaths of his girlfriend Angela Clay, 29, and her two daughters, Latoya Clay, 9, and Lakeisha Clay, 6. Prosecutors said he was in a jealous rage when he shot the three at their home. At the time, Black was on work-release while serving time for shooting Clay's estranged husband. It was Tennessee's second execution since May, after a pause for five years, first because of Covid-19 and then because of missteps by state corrections officials. Twenty-eight men have died by court-ordered execution so far this year in the US, and eight other people are scheduled to be put to death in seven states during the remainder of 2025. The number of executions this year exceeds the 25 carried out last year and in 2018. It is the highest total since 2015, when 28 people were put to death.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
S.Africa urges more countries to stand up to Israel's 'genocidal activities'
More countries must recognise a Palestinian state and stand up to Israel to stop its "genocidal activities", South Africa's Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola told AFP in an interview Tuesday. Pretoria has been a leading critic of Israel's actions in Gaza, bringing a case before the UN's top court in December 2023 arguing that its war in the Palestinian territory amounted to genocide. As some of Israel's allies "are now also saying, no, this can't continue, it means that it is bringing us closer and closer to the Israel regime to stop the genocidal activities", Lamola said. This will also boost efforts to "allow humanitarian access to the people of Gaza" and "to agree to go into a negotiation table to cease the fire", he said. "We really welcome this development, and we call for more countries to continue to recognise Palestine." "We welcome the intention to recognise by France, Canada, and all countries of the world. This will put the pressure so that we can end up with ceasefire," Lamola said. South Africa's case before the International Court of Justice argues that the war in Gaza, which began with the militant group Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, breached the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention. Israel has strongly denied that accusation. Several nations have added their weight to the proceedings, including Spain, Bolivia, Colombia, Mexico, Turkey, Chile and Libya. The leaders of France, the United Kingdom and Canada have meanwhile said they plan to recognise a Palestinian state in September, and urged other nations to do so. The announcements by some of Washington's closest allies have displeased US President Donald Trump. Lamola said that had the world acted when South Africa made its case at the ICJ, "we would not be where we are". "It's clear starvation is emerging, famine, and all these are things we warned about in our ICJ case -- that this will lead to famine, will lead to complete cleansing of the population," he said. "It's rather late, yes, but it's better than never. So let them act, let them support, let them put the pressure." fal/br/jcb/sbk
Fox News
2 hours ago
- Fox News
Witkoff scrambles for peace deal with Russia as sanctions loom targeting India, China
White House envoy Steve Witkoff is preparing for a trip to Russia on Wednesday, two days ahead of President Donald Trump's Aug. 8 deadline for Moscow to enter into a ceasefire or face stiff sanctions. But the escalated deadline, which Trump cut by nearly a month last week after first issuing Russian President Vladimir Putin a 50-day deadline in mid-July, has done little to curb the Kremlin's violence in Ukraine. If a peace deal is not reached by Friday, Putin's chief commodity will become the primary target as the U.S. will begin 100% sanctions on nations that purchase Russian oil in a move to dissuade them from fueling Russia's economy, and by extension, its war chest. But even with the threat of possibly lower oil sales to nations like India and China, which are the world's top purchasers of Russian oil, reports on Tuesday suggested that Witkoff's last-ditch effort to talk peace with Putin is not expected to make much, if any, headway. A report by Reuters said that not only is little expected from Witkoff's efforts, but Putin is also undeterred by Trump's threat of secondary sanctions. Trump on Tuesday told CNBC that he planned to raise the current 25% tariffs on India "very substantially" within the next 24 hours. "They're fueling the war machine, and if they're going to do that, then I'm not going to be happy," he said. Given that Trump has already said he plans to hit any nation that trades with Moscow with 100% secondary sanctions, it is unclear if he still plans to hit both India and China with trading fines this high. Neither the White House nor the Treasury Department returned Fox News Digital's questions regarding the unclear looming tariff rates. But India has pushed back on the tariffs, calling them "unjustified and unreasonable." In a statement on Monday, Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India's foreign ministry, said following Russia's invasion and subsequent Western boycotts of Russian oil, the U.S. allegedly encouraged India to import Russian gas "for strengthening global energy markets stability." But it is not just financial aid that India is accused of being involved in when it comes to Russia's war in Ukraine. Ukraine on Tuesday said it had found "Indian-made components in Russian attack drones – including the Shahed/Geran models." "Russia must be denied access to foreign-made parts that enable these weapons and the killing of Ukrainians," Andriy Yermak, presidential chief of staff, said on X. These drones have infamously been used to not only hit military points along the front lines in Ukraine, but have routinely targeted Ukrainian civilians, including in a series of overnight strikes. "Last night, the Russians launched a ballistic missile and nearly 50 UAVs against Ukraine, most of them Russian-Iranian 'shaheds,'" Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday. "Many drones were shot down by our defenders, but unfortunately, there were hits." Zelenskyy confirmed that one person was killed and 10 were injured, including two children, after 25 shahed drones pounded the city of Lozova in the Kharkiv region. The Zaporizhzhia, Odesa and Sumy regions were also struck, and two others were apparently injured. "Once again, the Russian army is hunting civilians in an attempt to terrorize frontline cities and communities," Zelenskyy said. Despite concerns that sanctions could have little effect on Putin's war ambitions, Zelenskyy argued they could "contribute" to ending the war. "The world now sees that sanctions against Russia, and secondary sanctions against all those who help it profiteer from oil, can work if they are strong enough," he said. "Therefore, pressure must be increased, and this will undoubtedly contribute to peace." Fox News Digital could not immediately reach the Indian Embassy in Washington, D.C., or Witkoff's team for comment.
