Democratic State Senator Nicole Mitchell. PHOTO: AP
DETROIT LAKES (AP) – A state senator from Minnesota, United States has pleaded not guilty to burglarising the home of her estranged stepmother after her father’s death.
Senator Nicole Mitchell, a Democrat from the St Paul suburb of Woodbury, was charged in April. She told police at the time that she broke into the home in the northwestern Minnesota town of Detroit Lakes because her stepmother refused to give her items of sentimental value from her late father, including his ashes, according to the felony criminal complaint.
In a joint court filing on Tuesday, defense and prosecution attorneys said Mitchell was pleading not guilty, and was asking the court to schedule both a settlement conference and jury trial.
The two sides also agreed that prosecutors won’t be able to argue that Mitchell stole a laptop computer that police seized when they arrested her. Ownership of the laptop had been in dispute.
The agreement said that prosecutors can, however, use evidence from the laptop if the case goes to trial.
Mitchell’s arrest roiled the 2024 legislative session, which came to an acrimonious end, and ethics proceedings against her remain on hold pending developments in her criminal case.
She denied stealing and rejected Republican calls for her resignation. Her status posed a dilemma for her fellow Democrats because they held only a one-seat majority in the Senate, so they needed her vote to pass anything that lacked bipartisan support.
Democratic State Senator Nicole Mitchell. PHOTO: AP
Yemenis at a flooded street in Sanaa, Yemen. PHOTO: XINHUA
AFP – At least 16 people have been killed in flash floods in a rebel-held district of Yemen, rebel media reported yesterday, as search efforts continued for others still missing.
Civil defence teams recovered the bodies of 16 of the 38 people posted as missing in Al-Mahwit province west of the capital Sanaa, the Iran-backed Huthi rebels’ Al-Masirah television reported, citing a local official.
Landslides triggered by torrential rains had crashed through homes and businesses in the province’s Melhan district on Tuesday night burying some of their occupants.
The rebel administration’s Deputy Prime Minister Mohammed Miftah, told Al-Masirah that “road closures due to the floods hindered the arrival of rescue teams for several hours”.
The heavy rains that have been falling in highland provinces for a week have also affected neighbouring Hodeida province on the Red Sea coast.
In the government-held town of Hais, Ahmed Suleiman and his children survived, but he told AFP “the floods swept away our homes, our livestock, all our belongings, our blankets, everything we had in the house”.
Another resident, Saud Majashi, said “our belongings, our beds, our food… the floods took everything”.
The mountains of western Yemen are prone to heavy seasonal rainfall.
Since late July, flash flooding has killed 60 people and affected 268,000 across Yemen, according to the United Nations.
“In the coming months, increased rainfall is forecast, with the central highlands, Red Sea coastal areas and portions of the southern uplands expected to receive unprecedented levels in excess of 300 millimetres,” the World Health Organization warned on Monday.
Earlier this month, the United Nations warned that USD4.9 million was urgently needed to scale up the emergency response to extreme weather in war-torn Yemen.
Yemenis at a flooded street in Sanaa, Yemen. PHOTO: XINHUA
Palestinians inspect damage to a mosque building following an Israeli military operation in the Fara camp for Palestinian refugees near Tubas in the north of the occupied West Bank. PHOTO: AFP
AFP – The death toll climbed yesterday as Israel pressed a large-scale military operation in the occupied West Bank for a second day, despite United Nations (UN) concerns it is “fuelling an already explosive situation”.
The operation was launched as violence raged on in the other main Palestinian territory, the Gaza Strip, which has been devastated by war since October 7.
Israel began coordinated raids in the northern West Bank cities of Jenin, Tubas and Tulkarem early on Wednesday, in what the military called a “counter-terrorism” operation.
Columns of Israeli armoured vehicles backed by troops and warplanes were sent in before soldiers encircled refugee camps in Tubas and Tulkarem, as well as Jenin, and exchanged fire with Palestinians.
The army said it killed five in Tulkarem yesteday, bringing to 14 the overall death toll since the launch of the West Bank operation.
“Following exchanges of fire, the forces eliminated five terrorists who had hidden inside a mosque” in Tulkarem, the military said.
Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad confirmed the death of Muhammad Jabber, also known as Abu Shujaa, its commander in the Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarem.
The violence has caused significant destruction, especially in Tulkarem, whose governor described the raids as “unprecedented” and a “dangerous signal”.
AFPTV footage showed bulldozers ripping up the asphalt from streets in the city.
Widespread damage was reported to infrastructure, including to water and sewage networks.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said 12 Palestinians were killed on the first day of the operation.
Witnesses said the Israeli forces had withdrawn from Al-Farra refugee camp in Tubas where several Palestinians were killed on Wednesday.
Palestinians inspect damage to a mosque building following an Israeli military operation in the Fara camp for Palestinian refugees near Tubas in the north of the occupied West Bank. PHOTO: AFP
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron. PHOTO: AP
AFP – United Kingdom (UK) premier Keir Starmer was welcomed warmly yesterday in Paris by French leader Emmanuel Macron, as the new centre-left British government seeks to relaunch post-Brexit ties with Europe.
Paris is the second leg of Starmer’s trip to key European Union (EU) capitals, after the prime minister visited Berlin and announced treaty talks alongside Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Macron strode out to meet Starmer for a demonstrative hug, slapping the recently-elected leader’s back and shaking his hand.
French presidents usually wait beside uniformed Republican Guards standing rigidly to attention at the top of the steps in the presidential palace’s courtyard when welcoming visitors. The pair have plenty to discuss. Like Germany, France is a key security partner for Britain – Paris and London hold permanent seats on the United Nations (UN) Security Council and are Western Europe’s only nuclear-armed powers.
More fraught is the issue of migrants crossing the Channel to the UK on boats, which the two countries’ security forces have cooperated for years to try to contain.
The issue was the first aim singled out by Starmer in a statement released ahead of the France visit, alongside stoking economic growth. Migrant arrivals in Britain reached a record high in the first six months of the year, according to London, adding 18 per cent year-on-year to reach 13,500 people.
Since the beginning of the year, 25 people have died in often dangerously-overcrowded craft, twice as many as in the whole of 2023.
Reaching a new level of cooperation with the EU as a whole may be more elusive than the treaty Starmer hopes to strike with Germany by year’s end.
He has made a classic choice of interlocutors in Scholz and Macron as the heads of the EU’s traditional Franco-German power couple.
But both are in a weakened state that may limit their influence on cross-Channel dealmaking.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron. PHOTO: AP
ANN/THE DAILY STAR – Once an exotic fruit grown in China and neighbouring countries, it has now become a staple across the region.
Farming of pitaya – dragon fruit – is common and the tropical fruit has become popular for its unique external structure, sweet taste, and texture. As a superfood, dragon fruit offers maximum nutritional benefits with minimal calories and is packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Despite being sweet, the fruit contains low sugar – only nine grammes (g) of sugar from 100g of dragon. It has low cholesterol and can be included in a low-sodium diet. Pitaya has a burst of antioxidants and vitamin C, enough to meet our daily needs just by consumption of a single fruit. It is also high in magnesium and contains plenty of folates.
DRAGON FRUIT SMOOTHIE FOR A BURST OF FLAVOURS
Start your day with this fruit smoothie for a burst of flavours and vibrant colours. Packed with the goodness of bananas and dragon fruit, its lavender hue and slightly tart taste make for a delightful breakfast. Customise your bowl with your favourite toppings to make it uniquely yours.
Ingredients
Two small dragon fruits
Four large strawberries (optional)
One large banana
Half a cup of milk
For the topping
One tablespoon of desiccated coconuts
A quarter cup of pomegranate arils
One tablespoon of slivered almonds
Method
Remove the leafy parts of strawberries and cut them into halves. Peel the banana and dragon fruit and slice them as well. Blend everything with milk until the consistency is smooth. Pour this into a bowl and top with desiccated coconut, slivered almonds, and pomegranate arils.
Dragon fruit comes in several colours – purple and white are more common.
Due to its low sugar content, people suffering from diabetes can consume one medium-sized fruit or half of a large dragon fruit daily.
They are best consumed after the main meal, which will have a minimal effect on blood sugar. – Tasneem Hazim
Liam Gallagher performs at the Reading Music Festival in England, left, and Noel Gallagher performs at the Glastonbury Festival in Worthy Farm, Somerset, England. PHOTO: AP
LONDON (AP) – Oasis, the Britpop band known for timeless hits like Wonderwall and Don’t Look Back in Anger, is reuniting for a tour of the British Isles next summer, ending a 15-year hiatus and, presumably, the long-held feud between brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher.
The guitar band will play 14 dates in Wales, England, Scotland and Ireland next July and August, Oasis said on Tuesday.
“This is it. This is happening,” the band said.
Oasis split in 2009 after many years of infighting, with Noel Gallagher officially leaving the band just before a performance at a festival near Paris. Even before the dissolution, the brothers had long had an antagonistic relationship and reportedly did not speak to each other for years after the breakup.
“People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer,” Noel Gallagher, the band’s guitarist and songwriter, wrote in a statement at the time.
While the Gallagher brothers haven’t performed together since, both regularly perform Oasis songs at their solo gigs. They’ve also each fired off criticisms of the other in the press.
Noel Gallagher accused his younger brother of having a hangover that forced them to cancel a 2009 concert. The frontman disputed the accusation and sued, later dropping the lawsuit.
But now the brothers are preparing to reunite, with the band saying fans would experience “the spark and intensity” that occurs only when they appear on stage together.
Tickets go on sale at 9am on Saturday. Attempts at registering for the presale ballot required users to name the band’s original drummer.
Liam Gallagher performs at the Reading Music Festival in England, left, and Noel Gallagher performs at the Glastonbury Festival in Worthy Farm, Somerset, England. PHOTO: APFile photo shows members from the British rock band Oasis during a photocall in Hong Kong on February 25, 2006. PHOTO: AFP
The tour will begin on July 4 and 5 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. Oasis will also perform at Heaton Park in Manchester, England, on July 11, 12, 19 and 20; Wembley Stadium in London on July 25 and 26 and August 2 and 3; Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on August 8 and 9; and Croke Park in Dublin on August 16 and 17.
There are plans for Oasis to perform in “other continents outside of Europe later next year”, the official tour announcement read.
Representatives did not immediately respond to The Associated Press’ requests for comment about future locations for the tour, as well as how the platform plans to handle demand for the shows.
The band also alluded to past tensions in the tour announcement.
“The guns have fallen silent,” Oasis said. “The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised.”
In 2011, Noel Gallagher told the AP in an interview that he left the band after an incident where Liam Gallagher started wielding a guitar “like an axe… and he’s swinging this guitar around and he kind of you know, he took my face off with it, you know?”
In 2019, Liam Gallagher told the AP he was ready to reconcile.
“The most important thing is about me and him being brothers,” he said. “He thinks I’m desperate to get the band back together for money. But I didn’t join the band to make money. I joined the band to have fun and to see the world.”
“I don’t know what his problem is,” he continued. “I think he just wanted to go away and do his solo career, get all the coin and be surrounded by all the yes men you can fire and hire whenever he wants. You can’t do that with me.”
With the announcement, the Britpop progenitors ended a few days of fan speculation. A short video on the band’s social media accounts on Sunday night had revealed the date “27.08.24”, and time “8am”, written in the same font as the well-known Oasis logo.
The brothers shared the same to their individual accounts.
Of course, fans have long theorised a reunion might be on the horizon: In the wake of the 2017 bombing that killed 22 at an Ariana Grande concert in Oasis’ hometown of Manchester, Liam Gallagher performed at a benefit concert that fueled speculation of a reunion. He criticised his brother’s absence, but a spokesperson said Noel Gallagher couldn’t attend because of a longstanding family trip. Benefit organisers said Noel Gallagher approved the use of Oasis’ music and donated royalties from Don’t Look Back In Anger to the British Red Cross’ One Love Manchester fund.
Later that year, Liam Gallagher tweeted at his brother, leading some to believe they made up: “I wanna say Happy Xmas to team NG it’s been a great year thanks for everything looking forward to seeing you tomorrow AS YOU WERE LG x”.
Prior to Tuesday’s announcement, Oasis was already teed up to release a new collection, Definitely Maybe – Deluxe 30th Anniversary Editions, celebrating the anniversary of their debut album.
Rumours of a potential reunion were amplified this past weekend when Liam Gallagher responded on social media to unconfirmed reports of the band playing London’s Wembley Stadium and Manchester’s Heaton Park. When one social media user criticised Heaton Park, the Manchester native wrote, “See you down the front,” calling the user a vulgarity. In another stand-alone post on X, he teased, “I never did like that word FORMER.”
“You tell me man,” Liam Gallagher replied. He also responded to several negative tweets about the potential reunion with “Your attitude sucks” and “SHUTUP”. Noel Gallagher, on the other hand, remained silent other than posting the teasers. – Danica Kirka
European Union Foreign Chief Josep Borrell. PHOTO: XINHUA
AFP – European Union (EU) Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell said yesterday he will urge the bloc’s 27 member states yesterday to back sanctions on Israeli ministers accused of fomenting “hatred” towards Palestinians.
“I initiated the procedures in order to ask the member states… if they consider appropriate, including in our list of sanctions some Israeli ministers (who have) been launching unacceptable hate messages against the Palestinians,” Borrell told reporters.
Speaking at the start of a foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels, Borrell said the individuals targeted had made statements that go “clearly against international law and is an incitation to commit war crimes”.
“I think that the EU has not to have taboos in order to use our toolbox – in order to make humane law respected,” Borrell said.
According to diplomats, Borrell’s proposal targets Israel’s finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, and its national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, both outspoken figures on the far right.
Smotrich has triggered international uproar by suggesting it would be justified to starve two million Gazans to free Israeli captives in the Palestinian territory, while Ben Gvir has been called out over a string of inflammatory actions and comments.
European Union Foreign Chief Josep Borrell. PHOTO: XINHUA
ANN/THE DAILY STAR – ‘Tis the season of guava! This green fruit is especially known for having low calories, helping with weight loss, which makes it attractive and an instant favourite for maintaining good health.
But instead of keeping it boring by just munching on guavas as a lone delicacy, you can test its versatility by making easy and healthy salads with the aid of ingredients available in the comfort of your kitchen.
So, without further ado, here are some of the salads you can whip up using guava.
And you’ll realise that it isn’t just some average green fruit – it’s as unique as it is sweet, but without too many calories.
GUAVA AND COTTAGE CHEESE SALAD
Nothing sounds more tantalising than a mixture of guava with cottage cheese, which has a creamy texture with a dash of saltiness, accompanying the sweet guava.
You are free to use your own favourite vegetables and dressings after putting diced guava and cottage cheese together, but as a suggestion, for veggies, you can use cucumber, sprouts, and rocket leaves whilst using dates, tamarind, jaggery, and black salt as dressings. Don’t forget to toss the ingredients with pepper and olive oil before the dressing goes on! You best believe the tapestry of colours will be as delectable as it tastes, creating an ideal light lunch or dinner for you.
BURMESE STYLE GUAVA SALAD
If you’re one of those people who follows a vegan lifestyle or has dietary restrictions, look no further than the Burmese-style salad, the perfect meal for you, which, for your information, is gluten-free.
The presence of cucumber, caramelised onions, chickpea flour, roasted peanuts, lemon juice, salt, and red chilli, tossed along the green fruit creates a flawless mingling of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy tang, elevating and complementing each other, adding variety. There’s no need for dressing in this salad, but you can use lemon slices as garnish before digging in.
GUAVA AND SWEET CORN SALAD
You might think, upon seeing the heading, won’t it be too sweet?
It looks like an odd combination, sure, but nothing can be too sweet when it comes to making a salad with guava and worrying about how many calories you have gained.
Boiled corn with guava, pomegranate arils, and onions in a bowl, with additives of lemon juice, salt, pepper, and cumin powder creates culinary magic.
A lot of flavours will attack your taste buds, but in a very pleasant way. When you’re running late for a meal without having cooked anything, this amazing salad will surely appease your hungry stomach without taking too much of your time to make it. – Tasneem Hazim
PHNOM PENH (XINHUA) – Cambodia and South Korea yesterday launched cross-border QR code payments, enabling people of both countries to scan QR codes for making their payments.
Speaking at the launching event held in the capital Phnom Penh, governor of the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) Chea Serey said under this project, people of both countries will be able to make their payments via Cambodia’s Bakong KHQR and South Korea’s Jeonbuk Bank mobile banking app.
“Following this launching ceremony, visitors from Korea, particularly users of the Jeonbuk Bank mobile application, will be able to use and scan QR codes in Cambodia to complete their payments,” she said.
“In the next phase, Cambodian residents will be enabled to use local wallets at Jeonbuk Bank QR code accepting merchants in the Republic of Korea,” she added.
Serey is confident that introducing cross-border QR code payments between Cambodia and South Korea will elevate financial cooperation by leveraging technology to benefit the citizens of both countries.
“In addition, the collaboration will substantially contribute to the promotion of trade activities, tourism and financial inclusion,” she said.
The governor said one of NBC’s key priorities is to enhance and modernise the cross-border payments.
Apart from South Korea, Cambodia has also launched bilateral cross-border QR code payment cooperation with four other partner countries, namely Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and China, she said.
HANOI (XINHUA) – Vietnam’s electronics exports earned USD77.4 billion as of August 15, increasing 20 per cent year-on-year, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.
The sector has witnessed vigorous recovery, posting a double-digit growth over seven and a half months, and is expected to hit USD130-132 billion in 2024, Vietnam News Agency reported yesterday.
Computers, electronic products and components brought USD42.59 billion while phones and components USD33.8 billion, respectively rising 30 per cent and 11 per cent from a year earlier, said the report.
Big investments from electronic giants have helped rapidly expand Vietnam’s smartphone market share globally to 13 per cent, the second largest after China, according to the Vietnam Electronic Industries Association.
