Paris, France – In 1871, the historic Palace of Justice in the heart of Paris was largely destroyed by a fire. For centuries a residence of the French monarchs, in the 19th century the Palace was the headquarters of France’s judicial system. The restorations lasted over 20 years. When completed, the site of the Palace [...]

United Nations – Iran’s U.N. Mission says the government “categorically rejects” the U.S. claim that it was responsible for the latest incidents against oil tankers which it condemns “in the strongest possible terms.” A statement from the mission Thursday evening said “Iran stands ready to play an active and constructive role in ensuring the security [...]

Washington – The Trump administration is expanding options for employers to use special accounts to help workers buy their own health insurance, upgrade job-based coverage, or choose low-cost plans with limited benefits, officials said Thursday. The tax-free individual accounts are called “health reimbursement arrangements,” or HRAs, and starting next year employees will be able to [...]

Washington – A sitting U.S. governor will be left off the stage when the Democratic Party holds its pivotal first debate in Miami later this month. The Democratic National Committee announced on Thursday the list of 20 presidential candidates who qualified to participate in the debate. The decision deals a blow to the four candidates [...]

Washington – More than 600 companies and trade associations, including Walmart and Target, have signed a letter telling President Donald Trump that an escalating trade war with China will hurt families, jobs and the U.S. economy. The letter, dated Thursday and organized by a business coalition called Tariffs Hurt the Heartland, comes as the US. [...]

Miami, FL – Self-driving vehicles with no humans on board will be able to operate in Florida — once they’re finally ready for prime time — under a bill signed Thursday by Gov. Ron DeSantis. DeSantis said he hopes to use the law to lure companies that test and build the cars. The measure, which [...]

New Jersey – A New Jersey judge ordered a Jersey City-based Jewish gay conversion therapy organization to permanently shut down. Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality, or JONAH, settled with former clients in a 2015 lawsuit and agreed to stop its discredited gay conversion counseling. But it has since been operating under a new name [...]

Jerusalem – Israeli warplanes struck a militant site in the east Gaza Strip early Friday, Palestinian witnesses said, after a rocket launched from Gaza hit a building in southern Israel, escalating tensions along the border just weeks after a cease-fire. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army, or reports of casualties on either [...]

Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico – Central American migrants eager beat a crackdown by Mexico on its southern border with Guatemala scrambled into the country on Thursday as the government prepared to send thousands of National Guard members to plug gaps in the porous frontier. Mexico has agreed with the United States to demonstrate by late July [...]

Albany, NY – The New York state Assembly has voted to eliminate a religious exemption to vaccine mandates for schoolchildren in the face of its worst measles outbreak in decades. The Democrat-led chamber approved the bill Thursday. The Senate plans to take up the measure later in the day. Similar exemptions are allowed in 46 [...]