Latest from bnok24
News18
a minute ago
- Politics
- News18
Syrian Government Announces A New Ceasefire After Deadly Clashes In The Druze City Of Sweida
Israel has struck the headquarters of the Syrian Ministry of Defence and close to the presidential palace in the capital Damascus, dramatically escalating on another military front in the region, and following through on its threats to intervene over clashes between government troops and Druze fighters in the southern Syrian city of Suwayda. Mobile App -
France 24
a minute ago
- Sport
- France 24
Swiss manager Weiler named new DC United head coach
It's the 10th managerial stop for 51-year-old Weiler, who most recently served as sporting director for Swiss club Servette. Past head coaching duties for Weiler included stints with Japan's Kashima Antlers, Egypt's Al Ahly and Belgian side Anderlecht. United fired Troy Lesesne as head coach on July 9 after the club opened the season with just four wins in 21 games. Kevin Flanagan has served as interim head coach since Lesesne was dismissed and will stay in the post until Weiler is able to take charge. "DC United is a club with a proud history and a passionate fanbase," Weiler said. "The foundation on site gives me confidence in what we can build. There's still a lot of work ahead, but I'm fully committed to leading this club back to where it belongs, competing at the highest level in MLS." Weiler, with more than 24 years of coaching experience, has won six major trophies, taking league titles in Belgium, Egypt and Switzerland.
France 24
a minute ago
- Health
- France 24
Trump says Coca-Cola to switch to cane sugar in US
The company currently uses high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in its domestic beverages -- a sweetener that has long drawn criticism from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his Make America Healthy Again movement. "I have been speaking to Coca-Cola about using REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States, and they have agreed to do so," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. "I'd like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola. This will be a very good move by them -- You'll see. It's just better!" The US president did not explain what motivated his push for the change, which would not impact his well-known favorite beverage, Diet Coke. Since his return to the White House, Trump has re-installed a special button in the Oval Office which summons a helping of the sugar-free carbonated drink. Coca-Cola did not immediately confirm the ingredient shift. "We appreciate President Trump's enthusiasm for our iconic Coca‑Cola brand. More details on new innovative offerings within our Coca‑Cola product range will be shared soon," the company said in a short statement. HFCS became popular in the 1970s, with its use skyrocketing thanks to government subsidies for corn growers and high import tariffs on cane sugar. Any shift away from corn is likely to draw backlash in the Corn Belt, a Midwestern region that has been a stronghold of support for Trump. Both HFCS and sucrose (cane sugar) are composed of fructose and glucose. However, they differ structurally: HFCS contains free (unbonded) fructose and glucose in varying ratios -- 55/45 in soft drinks -- while sucrose consists of the two sugars chemically bonded together. These structural differences, however, don't appear to significantly affect health outcomes. A 2022 review of clinical studies found no meaningful differences between HFCS and sucrose in terms of weight gain or heart health. The only notable distinction was an increase in a marker of inflammation in people consuming HFCS. Overall, both sweeteners appear similarly impactful when consumed at equal calorie levels. Despite this, Mexican Coke -- which is made with cane sugar -- is often sold at a premium in US stores and prized for its more "natural" flavor. Trump's prized Diet Coke is sweetened with aspartame -- a compound classified as a "possible carcinogen" by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
France 24
a minute ago
- Business
- France 24
United Airlines profits dip but says Newark has rebounded
The carrier, which was forced to scale back operations at its New York-area hub for part of the quarter due to air traffic control problems, said it saw an increase in bookings in early July and attributed the improvement to "less geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainty." While revenues edged up 1.7 percent in the first quarter to $15.2 billion compared with the year-ago period, profits fell 26.4 percent to $973 million. United had higher salary costs compared with the year-ago period. The carrier also accounted for $561 million in one-time costs in connection with a tentative labor agreement with its flight attendants union. United pointed to a turnaround in its performance at Newark, New Jersey after problems with the airport's air traffic operation led to delays and flight cancelations throughout much of May. The airline was forced to cancel many flights per day after an April 28 equipment outage resulted in Newark's air traffic controllers losing radar and communications with planes for 90 seconds. Following that incident, US air officials slowed traffic during this period due to insufficient staffing. But United has pointed to improved performance at Newark following moves by US officials to replace some outdated equipment. United's operation at Newark "led all other major airlines in on-time performance and lowest seat cancellation rate at all New York City area airports," United said in its press release. United plans to resume service between its Newark hub and Tel Aviv, Israel on July 21 after suspending service due to the Iran-Israel war. "United saw a positive shift in demand beginning in early July, and, like 2024, anticipates another inflection in industry supply in mid-August," said United CEO Scott Kirby. "The world is less uncertain today than it was during the first six months of 2025 and that gives us confidence about a strong finish to the year." United projected full-year 2025 profits of between $9 and $11 per share. Those figures are about $2 above the range of its "recessionary environment" forecast from April, but about $2.50 per share below the "stable environment" projection. Shares of United fell 1.5 percent in after-hours trading.
France 24
a minute ago
- Politics
- France 24
Syria withdraws army from Sweida after Israel bombs Damascus
Syria announced that its army had begun to withdraw from violence-hit Sweida on Wednesday, following a wave of Israeli strikes on the capital and a US call for government forces to leave the majority-Druze southern city. The United States, which is close allies with Israel and has been trying to reboot its relationship with Syria, said an agreement had been reached to restore calm in the area, and urged "all parties to deliver on the commitments they have made". The Syrian government earlier announced a new ceasefire in Sweida that would bring a halt to military operations there, after clashes that a war monitor said had left more than 300 people dead since Sunday. The Syrian army "has begun withdrawing from the city of Sweida in implementation of the terms of the adopted agreement, after the end of the sweep of the city for outlaw groups", a defence ministry statement said. The statement did not mention any withdrawal of other government security forces, which had deployed to the city on Tuesday with the stated aim of overseeing a previous truce agreed with Druze community leaders following days of deadly fighting with local Bedouin tribes. That ceasefire appeared to have little effect, however, with witnesses reporting that the government forces joined with the Bedouin in attacking Druze fighters and civilians in a bloody rampage through the city. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said that the violence in Sweida province had left more than 300 people dead, including government forces, local fighters and 27 Druze civilians killed in "summary executions". The Syrian presidency vowed to investigate the "heinous acts" in Sweida and to punish "all those proven to be involved". 13:57 Damascus strikes Israel, which has its own Druze community, has presented itself as a defender of the group, although some analysts say that is a pretext for pursuing its own military goal of keeping Syrian government forces as far from their shared frontier as possible. Following the fall of Syria's longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, the Israeli military took control of the UN-monitored demilitarised zone in the Golan Heights and conducted hundreds of strikes on military targets in Syria. After carrying out air strikes in Sweida province earlier this week in what it said was defence of the Druze, Israel launched a series of attacks on the capital Damascus on Wednesday. AFP images showed the side of a building in the defence ministry complex in ruins after one strike, as smoke billowed over the area. Israel said it had also struck a "military target" in the area of the presidential palace, while a Syrian interior ministry source reported strikes outside the capital in "the vicinity of the Mazzeh (military) airport". Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz called on Damascus to "leave the Druze in Sweida alone", and threatened to unleash "painful blows" until government forces pulled back. Syria's foreign ministry slammed the attacks as a "dangerous escalation", while Israel's military chief insisted his forces were "acting with responsibility, restraint and sound judgment". The Syrian health ministry said that at least three people were killed and 34 wounded in the strikes on Damascus. 01:58 Halt to Sweida operations Announcing the new ceasefire on Wednesday, Syria's interior ministry said there would be a "total and immediate halt to all military operations", as well as the formation of a committee comprising government representatives and Druze spiritual leaders to supervise its implementation. An AFP correspondent in Sweida, however, reported hearing gunfire in the city even after the announcement. In a video carried by state television, Sheikh Youssef Jarboua, one of Syria's main Druze spiritual leaders, read out the 10 points of the accord, which also includes "the full integration of the province" of Sweida into the Syrian state. Until now, Druze areas have been controlled by fighters from the minority community. The latest fighting was the most serious outbreak of violence in Syriasince government forces battled Druze fighters in Sweida province and near Damascus in April and May, leaving more than 100 people dead. The clashes between the Bedouin and the Druze that first prompted the government deployment were triggered by the kidnapping of a Druze vegetable merchant, according to the Observatory. The two groups have been at loggerheads for decades. The Islamist authorities have had strained relations with Syria's patchwork of religious and ethnic minorities, and have been repeatedly accused of not doing enough to protect them. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had expressed concern on Wednesday about the Israeli bombings, adding "we want it to stop". A State Department spokesperson said Washington was also asking Syria to "withdraw their military in order to enable all sides to de-escalate". Rubio later announced on X that all sides had "agreed on specific steps that will bring this troubling and horrifying situation to an end". "This will require all parties to deliver on the commitments they have made and this is what we fully expect them to do," he wrote, without elaborating on the nature of the agreement.
