Page 11 - Monitor Stories News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Kabul, Afghanistan The Taliban on Monday announced a three-day cease-fire for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan this week. But hours later, a roadside bombing killed 11 passengers on a bus in eastern Afghanistan – the latest in relentless violence that has gripped the country. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing. Responding to the cease-fire announcement, the government in Kabul – which has faced rising attacks as United States and NATO troops pull out of Afghanistan – called for a permanent truce. A statement from th...

Philadelphia A string of lights that lobbed across the night sky in parts of the United States on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday had some people wondering if a fleet of UFOs was coming, but it had others – mostly amateur stargazers and professional astronomers – lamenting the industrialization of space. The train of lights was actually a series of relatively low-flying satellites launched by Elon Musk’s SpaceX as part of its Starlink internet service earlier this week. Callers swamped TV stations from Texas to Wisconsin reporting the lights and musing about UFOs. An email to a spokesma...

Jerusalem Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip fired rockets toward Jerusalem on Monday, setting off air raid sirens throughout the city, after hundreds of Palestinians were hurt in clashes with Israeli police at a flashpoint religious site in the contested holy city. The early-evening attack drastically escalated what already are heightened tensions throughout the region following weeks of clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters in Jerusalem. Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas’ military wing, said the rocket attack was a response to what he called Israeli “crimes and aggressi...

Big Tech firms like Facebook and Google are among the richest companies in the world – all the more so after a pandemic has tipped consumers further away from brick-and-mortar commerce. Yet these same companies often pay little or nothing in taxes in places they rely on for much of their profits. So, as governments around the globe look for ways to pay for their growing costs, some are tapping a new brand of revenue: digital services taxes. These levies are aimed squarely at core activities of Big Tech firms. Why We Wrote This Big Tech firms were already under fire for not paying taxes wher...

The Richmond, California, neighborhood where Najari Smith established his bike shop is not wealthy by any traditional measure. But Mr. Smith has nothing but enthusiasm for the community’s potential. He understands challenges like generational poverty and sparse opportunity, and his advocacy is for those most vulnerable. “Growing up, I always wanted everybody to have enough,” he says.  That’s why he chose to make Rich City Rides a cooperative. “We share the stress, we share the profits, we share the challenges, and we share the victories, all evenly,” says Mr. Smith, who also want...