Foreign dignitaries at barbara bush funeral

HANOI (Vietnam News/Asia News Network): The number of foreign tourists visiting Vietnam in the first half of 2022 increased 6.8 times over the same period of 2021, reaching 602,000, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO). However, the number still falls short of pre-pandemic figures – a drop of 92.9 per cent compared to 2019. Visitors coming by air account for 87 per cent of the total and 9.4 times that of the same period last year, whereas the number of travellers via road routes accounts for 13 per cent of the total (up 2.4 times), and 0.02 per cent by sea (a decrease of 42.6 per cent). In June alone, Vietnam welcomed nearly 237,000 foreign arrivals, up 36.8 per cent compared to the previous month and 32.9 times that of the same period last year. Statistics show that the revenue from accommodation and catering services surged by 20.9 per cent in the first six months and 80 per cent in June over the same period last year. Meanwhile, travel service revenue surged by … [Read more...] about Foreign arrivals in Vietnam surge nearly seven-fold in first six months

Israel's parliament is expected to dissolve on Wednesday, ending Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's year-long tenure and triggering a fifth election in less than four years that could see ex-premier Benjamin Netanyahu reclaim power. Barring an 11th-hour shock agreement to save the coalition or form a new government within the existing parliament, Mr. Bennett's eight-party alliance is due to end by midnight, installing Foreign Minister Yair Lapid as Prime Minister. The former television anchor is set to head a caretaker government, ahead of polls due in late October or early November. Mr. Bennett's motley alliance formed in 2021 offered a reprieve from an unprecedented era of political gridlock, ending Mr. Netanyahu's record 12 consecutive years in power and passing Israel's first state Budget since 2018. Mr. Netanyahu — a divisive hawk aligned with far-right nationalists and Israel's ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties — has promised victory in new elections but may again struggle to … [Read more...] about Israel headed for polls, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid to be interim PM

ONTARIO, Calif. (AP) — Family members, friends and members of law enforcement attended a funeral Thursday for two Southern California police officers slain earlier this month while investigating a report of a possible stabbing. El Monte Police Department Officer Joseph Santana, 31, and Cpl. Michael Paredes, 42, were fatally shot June 14 outside a suburban motel east of Los Angeles. A procession of police cars from agencies across the state escorted hearses carrying the officers' caskets from El Monte to Ontario, where hundreds packed Toyota Arena for the memorial service. Speakers remembered the men for their community service, bravery, sense of duty and devotion to their families. Santana is survived by his wife, a daughter and twin boys. Paredes is survived by his wife, a daughter and a son. “An entire community mourns their loss,” said Bianca Santana, Joseph Santana’s younger sister The officers' families “were the reason they came to work every day," acting El Monte … [Read more...] about Slain California police officers memorialized at funeral

There are no fresh revelations in this feature-length documentary about Diana. What it does offers is a compressed view of her short life as the Princess of Wales, seen through archive footage and old interviews. The effect is like a rush of fuzzy memories, given new shape by slick editing and the distance of time. It makes for compelling, if uncomfortable, viewing. After opening with 25-year-old footage of paparazzi gathered outside The Ritz in Paris, director Ed Perkins rewinds, showing a teenage Diana making her way to her car as future ITN anchor Carol Barnes badgers her with questions about her rumoured engagement to the future king. The grainy film, Barnes’plummy RP accent and Diana’s unguarded smiles make it seem like footage from a bygone age. When we get to the 1981 royal wedding, the past really does seem like a foreign country. A newscaster relates how Diana’s family “vouched for her virginity” as crowds ecstatically celebrate their arranged marriage in Trafalgar … [Read more...] about Review: The Princess – a compelling, if uncomfortable, portrait of Diana

Household finances failed to keep up with soaring inflation once again at the start of the year, marking the first time real disposable income has fallen for four quarters in a row since records began, according to official figures. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said real household disposable income dropped 0.2% between January and March as income growth of 1.5% was outstripped by household inflation of 1.7%. Household finances have now been under pressure for a straight year, with rising prices amid the cost-of-living crisis meaning income after inflation has fallen for a record four consecutive quarters. The latest figures came as the ONS confirmed its earlier estimation that gross domestic product (GDP) – a measure of the size of the economy – rose by 0.8% in the first quarter of the year. Recommended Over £130m handed to housing providers named and shamed by regulator This marked a decline in growth from 1.3% in the previous … [Read more...] about Soaring inflation sees household incomes fall for record four quarters in a row

Former President Donald Trump was dealt a blow on Thursday when the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in favor of President Joe Biden and his administration regarding asylum seekers in Mexico seeking immigration hearings without proper documentation. The court issued a 5-4 decision in Biden v. Texas regarding the Trump administration's Remain in Mexico policy, also known as Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), enacted in 2019 and prevented thousands of migrants from entering the U.S. while going through legal proceedings. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the opinion, joined by Justices Stephen Breyer , Brett Kavanaugh , Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, in favor of ending the Trump-era policy while Justices Samuel Alito , Amy Coney Barrett , Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas dissented. The decision came after other recent controversial decisions made by the conservative-leaning Court regarding concealed-carry gun laws in New York and the overturning of … [Read more...] about SCOTUS delivers blow to Trump, allowing Biden to end “Remain in Mexico”

Three men who are alleged to have attempted to slow down the Russian military advance through Belarus at the beginning of Vladimir Putin 's invasion of Ukraine are set to face the death penalty for high treason. The three men, who have become known as the "rail partisans", have not been named but are said to be aged 29, 33, and 51. They have been labeled "terrorists" and "traitors" by Belarusian prosecutors. They stand accused by the Belarusian regime—often referred to as the last dictatorship in Europe—of high treason for having allegedly damaged a railway line in a bid to stop supplies of Russian weaponry and equipment from transiting through Belarus to Ukraine. They currently face treason and terrorism charges from the regime of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994 and is a close ally of Vladimir Putin, even allowing Russia to use Belarus as a staging area for some of the Russian forces at the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, when … [Read more...] about Men who allegedly blew up rail lines to slow Russia face death in Belarus

Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene recently argued that she felt the U.S. should leave NATO to avoid a conflict with Russia . On Wednesday evening, Greene took to her Twitter account to share a Wall Street Journal article reflecting on the increasing tension between the U.S. and Russia following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. She also warned that she believed the U.S. could be dragged into a conflict with Russia if things continued as they are. "The American people do not want war with Russia, but NATO and our own foolish leaders are dragging us into one," she tweeted alongside the article. "A war that no one will win. Escalation over Ukraine, a non-member nation, risking nuclear war is a power-play endangering the entire world. We should pull out of NATO." The Wall Street Journal article headline shared by Greene read: Moscow Pledges Response to U.S. Military Expansion and it focused on Russia's response to the news the U.S. will be making … [Read more...] about Marjorie Taylor Greene urges U.S. to leave NATO to avoid war with Russia

Ukraine's army released a video on Thursday showing how its forces successfully recaptured Snake Island from Russia , shortly after Moscow said it withdrew its forces from the strategic Black Sea outpost as a "gesture of goodwill." Moscow said on Thursday that its forces had "finished fulfilling their tasks" and "demonstrated that Russia is not blocking the UN's efforts to organise a humanitarian corridor to export agricultural goods from Ukraine." Kyiv pushed back against Russia's statement, saying that it drove Russian President Vladimir Putin 's troops from the island with military force in an overnight assault. Ukraine's armed forces released a video showing an offensive on the island, which made headlines in the early days of the war when Ukrainians stationed there told a Russian cruiser: "Russian warship, go f**k yourself!" "Unable to withstand the fire of Ukraine's artillery, missile and air strikes, Russian army left Snake Island," the commander-in-chief of the … [Read more...] about How Ukraine recaptured Snake Island from Russia

Russian troops withdrawing from Ukraine's Snake Island in the Black Sea, after repeated bombardments, could have wide-ranging significance, current and former Ukrainian officials have said. Snake Island became globally famous thanks to the now-legendary "go f*** yourself" response of the defending garrison when told to surrender to a Russian warship. Moscow has explained the withdrawal as a "gesture of goodwill" that shows Russia is "not impeding [United Nations] efforts to organize a humanitarian corridor to ship agricultural products from Ukraine," and avoid catastrophic global food shortages. But Ukrainian officials have dismissed Russia's explanation and declared the regaining of the island after 127 days of occupation as a significant strategic and symbolic victory. Andriy Zagorodnyuk, Ukraine's former defense minister, told Newsweek the forced Russian withdrawal denies Moscow use of what was essentially an "unsinkable ship." The island hosted Russian … [Read more...] about Ukraine “big victory” at Snake Island could be a turning point