U.S. President Donald Trump called Iraq’s new prime minister-designate Thursday and extended an invitation for him to visit Washington once he has successfully formed a government, the Iraqi prime minister’s office said in a statement. Trump then posted on his social media platform Truth Social congratulating Ali al-Zaidi and wishing him “success as he works to form a new Government free from terrorism that could deliver a brighter future for Iraq.” “We look forward to a strong, vibrant, and highly productive new relationship between Iraq and the United States,” the post said. “This is the beginning of a tremendous new...

A student at a Tacoma high school was booked on five counts of first-degree assault after four students and an adult security guard were wounded in a stabbing at the school Thursday, police said. The Tacoma Fire Department took five people to hospitals from Foss High School, with four of the patients in critical condition and one with minor injuries, said Chelsea Shepherd, a spokesperson for the department. A sixth person was in police custody and taken to a hospital with minor injuries, she said. All were in stable condition as of late afternoon. All of those wounded were either...

Meta is raising the prospect of shutting down its social media services in New Mexico in response to a push by state prosecutors for fundamental changes to the company’s platforms, including Instagram, to protect the mental health and safety of children. The possibility emerged amid legal gamesmanship in the runup to a bench trial next week on allegations that Meta poses a public nuisance. It’s the second phase of a case that already resulted in $375 million in civil penalties on a jury’s determination that Meta knowingly harmed children’s mental health and concealed what it knew about child sexual exploitation...

xThe leaders of major media companies around the world, including The Associated Press, are calling on Israel’s government to lift a ban keeping foreign journalists from being able to independently enter and report from Gaza, a barrier that’s been in place since the war’s start in 2023 and continues even as a ceasefire has been in place for more than six months. “Being on the ground is essential. It allows journalists to question official accounts on all sides, to speak directly with civilians and report back what they witness firsthand,” said the statement from the executives, released Thursday. “That is...

Former Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been moved from prison to house arrest and her sentence has been reduced as part of a prisoner amnesty for a Buddhist holiday. Accompanying the announcement was a photo of the 80-year-old leader dressed in a traditional white blouse and skirt and sitting on a bench behind a low table facing unidentified men who wear military and police uniforms. Myanmar’s military information office and state television disclosed the move and shared the photo of her Thursday night, but when and where the photo was taken was not clear. Suu Kyi was detained...

Former Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been moved from prison to house arrest and her sentence has been reduced as part of a prisoner amnesty for a Buddhist holiday. Accompanying the announcement was a photo of the 80-year-old leader dressed in a traditional white blouse and skirt and sitting on a bench behind a low table facing unidentified men who wear military and police uniforms. Myanmar’s military information office and state television disclosed the move and shared the photo of her Thursday night, but when and where the photo was taken was not clear. Suu Kyi was detained...

Mark Carney: “Today, His Majesty the King visited the Canadian Cross of Sacrifice at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, USA.  “This monument honours the Americans who, moved by a sense of duty to fight for freedom, joined the Canadian Armed Forces in the years before the United States officially entered the First World War.  “It was later rededicated to all Americans who joined Canadian forces in the Second World War and the Korean War.  “His Majesty’s act of remembrance is a powerful reminder of the bonds between our countries.”