RAMALLAH, Aug 8 (NNN-WAFA) – Palestinians condemned yesterday, the killings of Palestinians by Israeli soldiers and settlers in the West Bank.

At least four Palestinians were killed within the last 24 hours, including a Palestinian teenager, who succumbed to the wounds inflicted by an Israeli guard in the West Bank last week, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

07 August 2023; MEMO: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has accused the US of encouraging smuggling by sea in the Gulf region, in the latest sign of rising tensions between Tehran and Washington.

"Today, the Americans are targeting oil tankers while helping the maritime smuggling networks in our region," said Khamenei on state television yesterday, Bloomberg News has reported. "This is a major violation on their part."

07 August 2023; MEMO: Washington has condemned as "terrorism" the killing of a Palestinian by suspected Jewish settlers, in language that appears to reflect US frustration with surging violence in the occupied West Bank under Israel's hard-right government, Reuters reported.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Few even mentioned his name, and the new federal indictment he faces was completely ignored, as Republican candidates for president tried in Iowa Sunday to present themselves as Donald Trump alternatives.

Over the course of two hours, seven GOP hopefuls took their turn on stage in front of about 800 party activists in the leadoff caucus state, all invited to speak at Iowa Rep. Ashley Hinson’s fundraising barbecue at a Cedar Rapids racetrack.

JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- South Africa is ready to host the much-anticipated 15th BRICS summit, said Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor on Monday.

"President Ramaphosa has confirmed South Africa's readiness to host the 15th BRICS summit in person, in Sandton, Johannesburg. The president has therefore invited 67 leaders from Africa and the Global South to attend the BRICS-Africa outreach and BRICS Plus dialogues," Pandor said while briefing the media about the country's preparations for the summit, which will be held on Aug. 22-24.

07 August 2023; MEMO: The former head of Israel's Mossad spy agency has said that he believes that the occupation state is heading for self-destruction, the religious-Zionist Makor Rishon news outlet reported on Sunday.

Tamir Pardo explained that he came to his conclusion after the signing of the coalition agreement among the current parties in the far-right cabinet, even before the announcement of the judicial reform plan by Minister of Justice Yariv Levin.

07 August 2023; MEMO: Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has backed a Jewish settler accused of carrying out a terrorist attack against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, following the killing of 19-year-old Palestinian Qusay Jamal Matan.

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian court on Monday sentenced seven defendants to as little as three years in prison for distributing methanol-tainted drinks that killed 44 people.

The court in Yekaterinburg, Russia’s fourth-largest city, convicted the seven of charges including sale of goods that do not meet safety requirements and result in the deaths of two or more people; sentences ran from three to six years.

Washington ((AP) — Two conservative groups are asking a federal court to block the Biden administration’s plan to cancel $39 billion in student loans for more than 800,000 borrowers.

In a lawsuit filed Friday in Michigan, the groups argue that the administration overstepped its power when it announced the forgiveness in July, just weeks after the Supreme Court struck down a broader cancellation plan pushed by President Joe Biden.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois will soon outlaw advertising for firearms that officials determine produces a public safety threat or appeals to children, militants or others who might later use the weapons illegally, as the state continues its quest to curb mass shootings.

Gun-rights advocates say the plan, which Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker has pledged to sign into law, is an unreasonably vague decree that violates not only the constitutionally protected right to own guns but also free speech.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Fueled by election gains, Democrats in Minnesota and Michigan this year enacted far-reaching policy changes that party leaders in other states are looking to as a potential roadmap for what they could swiftly achieve with similar control.

Gun safety packages, expanded voting rights, free meals for all students, and increased protections for abortion rights and LGTBQ+ people were just some of pent-up policy proposals that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed into law within months under the new legislative majorities.

WASHINGTON, Aug 7 (Reuters) - The first Republican debate of the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign is shaping up as a crucial moment for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who badly needs some momentum in his challenge to former President Donald Trump for the party's nomination.

Complicating the matter for DeSantis: Trump, by far the front-runner in the race for the right to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden, appears unwilling to provide him with a target.