BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Climate activists have spraypainted a superyacht, blocked private jets from taking off and plugged holes in golf courses this summer as part of an intensifying campaign against the emissions-spewing lifestyles of the ultrawealthy.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Old. Confused. Corrupt. Dishonest.

Those are among the top terms Americans use when they’re asked to describe President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, the Republican best positioned to face him in next year’s election.

Unflattering portraits of both emerge clearly in a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, which asked an open-ended question about what comes to mind when people think of them.

NEW DELHI, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Monday formally announced that it would launch "Aditya-L1", the first space-based Indian observatory to study the Sun, on Sept. 2 from the Satish Dhawan Space Center located in Sriharikota of India's southern state of Andhra Pradesh, off the Bay of Bengal.

"The Aditya-L1 will be the first Indian space-based observatory-class solar mission to unlock the mysteries of the Sun," added the ISRO.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden are visiting a District of Columbia public middle school on Monday to welcome students back for the new school year.

The Bidens are heading to Eliot-Hine Middle School, located east of the U.S. Capitol, to mark the District of Columbia’s first day of school for the 2023-24 year. The event kicks off several back-to-school activities for the first lady, who is traveling later in the week to the Midwest to celebrate teachers and to highlight the mental health needs of students.

Aug 28 (Reuters) - The United States Transportation Department (USDOT) on Monday fined American Airlines (AAL.O) $4.1 million for unlawfully keeping thousands of passengers on the tarmac for hours, the largest-ever penalty for violating the rule.

Of the $4.1 million assessed, $2.05 million will be credited to the airline for compensation provided to passengers of impacted flights.

OKUMA, Japan (AP) — At a small section of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant’s central control room, the treated water transfer switch is on. A graph on a computer monitor nearby shows a steady decrease of water levels as treated radioactive wastewater is diluted and released into the Pacific Ocean.

PARIS, Aug 28 (Reuters) - French conservatives on Monday applauded the government's decision to ban children from wearing the abaya, the loose-fitting, full-length robes worn by some Muslim women, in state-run schools, but the move also drew criticism and some mockery.

France, which has enforced a strict ban on religious symbols in state schools since 19th century laws removed any traditional Catholic influence from public education, has struggled to update guidelines to deal with a growing Muslim minority.

ISLAMABAD, Aug 28 (Reuters) - A Pakistani court on Monday quashed a sedition case against former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday, a relief for the embattled leader whose appeal against conviction in a separate corruption case will be decided on by a high court on Tuesday.

The 70-year-old former cricket hero had filed an appeal in the Islamabad High Court, seeking to suspend his three year sentence on corruption charges handed to him earlier this month, saying he was convicted without being given a right to defence.

NEW DELHI, August 28. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said he will not be able to attend the Group of 20 summit in New Delhi from September 9-10, so the Russian delegation will be led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the Indian prime minister’s office said in a statement.

"President Putin conveyed his inability to attend the G20 Summit in New Delhi on 9-10 September 2023 and informed that Russia would be represented by Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, H.E. Mr. Sergey Lavrov," the statement said.

DAMASCUS, Aug 28 (NNN-SANA) – Syria’s national railway operator, accused U.S. forces of dismantling infrastructure, including railways, and looting national resources within Syrian territories under their control.

U.S. forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) continued to seize infrastructure and machinery, including locomotives and trucks, in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour and the north-eastern province of Hasakah, the General Establishment of Syrian Railways was quoted as saying in a statement.

TEHRAN, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Iran on Monday officially started gas production at Phase 11 of the South Pars field located in its southern waters, the official news agency IRNA reported.

The announcement was made in an inauguration ceremony held in the southern port city of Asaluyeh in the presence of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, said the report.

At the ceremony, Raisi said the development project of Phase 11 is being fully implemented by domestic experts, according to a statement published on the website of his office.

PARIS, August 28. /TASS/: France is set to support any efforts, including military intervention, made by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to restore constitutional order in Niger, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday.

"We support the diplomatic and, if it is decided, the military activity of ECOWAS," he said, adding that Paris will not drop its support for legitimately elected President Mohamed Bazoum.