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CNN  —  More than half a million Afghans have been expelled from Iran in the 16 days since the conflict with Israel ended, according to the United Nations, in what may be one of the largest forced movements of population this decade. For months, Tehran has declared its intention to remove the millions of undocumented Afghans who carry out lower-paid labor across Iran, often in tough conditions. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has said 508,426 Afghans have left Iran via the Iranian-Afghanistan border between June 24 and July 9. A startling 33,956 crossed Wednesday and 30,635 on Tuesday, after a…

DJANET, Algeria (AP) — In one hand, the dancers hold swords symbolizing battle. In the other, a piece of cloth symbolizing peace. They dance a shuffling “step-step” to the beat of drums and chanting from the women encircling them, all adorned in their finest traditional garments and jewelry.They’re performing the rituals of the 3,000-year-old annual Sebeiba festival of Djanet, a southeastern Algerian oasis town deep in the Sahara, just over 200 kilometers (about 125 miles) from the Libyan border.Sebeiba is a core tradition of the Tuareg people, native to the Sahara and parts of West Africa. The Tuareg are Muslim,…

Though he officially left the U.S. government in May, Steve Davis — Elon Musk’s low-flying former top lieutenant at the Department of Government Efficiency — continues to wield influence at DOGE, according to the WSJ. The outlet says Davis, a longtime Musk ally, regularly gives directions to current DOGE officials and has privately dismissed his departure as “fake news.” TechCrunch reached out earlier Wednesday to The Boring Company, Musk’s tunneling company where Davis has held the president role, for comment. This behind-the-scenes involvement suggests that Davis — who is reportedly so frugal that he has sometimes signed off on costs…

Aviation news Air travel safety Federal agencies Wellness See all topics Facebook Tweet Email Link Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center – Oklahoma City, OK  —  On a sprawling campus in the middle of the nation, thousands of students learn how to take command of the nation’s skies. The Federal Aviation Administration Academy, near the Oklahoma City airport, has been a fixture since late 1946, six years before the first commercial passenger jet flight. In it, rooms filled with monitors show simulated airplanes taxiing on runways and taking off – all under the watchful eyes of students learning to keep the flying…

California State Senator Scott Wiener on Wednesday introduced new amendments to his latest bill, SB 53, that would require the world’s largest AI companies to publish safety and security protocols and issue reports when safety incidents occur. If signed into law, California would be the first state to impose meaningful transparency requirements onto leading AI developers, likely including OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and xAI. Senator Wiener’s previous AI bill, SB 1047, included similar requirements for AI model developers to publish safety reports. However, Silicon Valley fought ferociously against that bill, and it was ultimately vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom. California’s governor…

CNN  —  One of Russia’s most powerful men, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, is set to visit North Korea this weekend, in a sign of deepening relations between Moscow and Pyongyang as North Korea gets pulled deeper into Russia’s war in Ukraine. Lavrov “will make a visit to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on July 11-13 for the talks that will be held as part of the second round of strategic dialogue between the top diplomats,” foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said, according to Russian state media agency TASS. North Korea’s state news agency, KCNA, also reported Wednesday that Lavrov…

HAVANA (AP) — Despite Cuba’s economic crisis, many women are embracing elaborate nail art as a bold fashion statement. Manicurists like Marisel Darias Valdés treat it as an art form, creating intricate designs that can take hours and cost up to $40 — more than triple the average monthly salary. ___ This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors. Manicurist Dayana Roche works on a client’s nails at her home-run nail salon in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) Manicurist Dayana Roche works on a client’s nails at her home-run nail salon in Havana, Cuba,…

Microsoft’s chief commercial officer Judson Althoff said during a presentation this week that AI tools are boosting productivity across sales, customer service, and software engineering, Bloomberg reports. Althoff noted AI has been so useful that Microsoft was able to save more than $500 million last year in its call center alone.  The internal remarks come a week after Microsoft laid off more than 9,000 workers, the company’s third round of layoffs this year that put the total number of affected employees somewhere around 15,000.  For employees who lost their jobs while working at a company that is reporting impressive cost-savings…

HAVANA (AP) — Cuban women are embracing extravagant nail art with many willing to spend the money to have extremely long and intricate nails despite the economic obstacles.While over-the-top nail designs have long been common elsewhere, in Cuba they stand out because most Cubans have little disposable income and procuring the embellishments isn’t easy.A deepening economic crisis makes almost every aspect of life in Cuba challenging for the population; long lines for buses, power outages and shortages are part of everyday life on the island.For those who have mastered the work, whether from online video tutorials or visiting manicurists from…

by Donald Wood Last updated: 2:00 PM ET, Thu July 10, 2025 Update: July 10, 2:00 p.m. ETDrivers hitting the road this summer are seeing some welcome relief when filling up their tanks. Summer gas prices across the U.S. have dropped to levels not seen since July 2021, with the national average hovering around $3.17 per gallon after briefly dipping to $3.14 last week. This marks the lowest summer fuel price seen in four years. AAA reports that the dip at the pump is thanks to a strong global oil supply, which has helped keep prices stable throughout the first…