Parents of baby Charlie Gard given until Thursday to agree plan for death
A British judge gave the parents of Charlie Gard until noon on Thursday (July 27) to agree arrangements for his death with the hospital caring for him, failing which he would be transferred to a hospice where his ventilation tube would be removed.
Having taken the decision to let Charlie die, his parents have been making desperate attempts to make an arrangement that would make it possible for them to spend several days with him, away from hospital.
At stake in this final, agonising part of the legal dispute is how long Connie Yates and Chris Gard will have with their son before he dies. The parents had been trying for several days to gain permission to take their son home, but as Wednesday's court hearing progressed it became clear that would not happen.
Fed holds rates steady, expects to cut balance sheet 'relatively soon'
The Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged on Wednesday (July 26) and said it expected to start winding down its massive holdings of bonds "relatively soon" in a sign of confidence in the US economy.
The US central bank kept its benchmark lending rate in a target range of 1.00 per cent to 1.25 per cent and said it was continuing the slow path of monetary tightening that has lifted rates by a percentage point since 2015.
In a statement following a two-day policy meeting, the Fed's rate-setting committee indicated the economy was growing moderately and job gains had been solid. But it noted that both overall inflation and a measure of underlying price gains had declined and said it would "carefully monitor" price trends.
US slaps sanctions on 13 current, former top Venezuela officials
"As President Trump has made clear, the United States will not ignore the Maduro regime's ongoing efforts to undermine democracy, freedom, and the rule of law," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in announcing the sanctions.
Among those targeted are the head of Venezuela's National Electoral Council, Tibisay Lucena, and former vice president Elias Jaua, who is leading the presidential commissions organizing Sunday's vote for a so-called constituent assembly.
Rihanna meets French president Macron to address education goals
Rihanna met French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday (July 26) to discuss the pop star's charity activities in healthcare and education.
The Barbadian singer of hit Diamonds founded the Clara Lionel Foundation in 2012, a nonprofit organisation that promotes scholarship projects across the globe. "We focused on the topic of education from global aspects, and we will make a very big announcement this coming September,"Rihanna told journalists outside the Elysee palace in Paris after the meeting, without elaborating.
Rihanna's Twitter account has more than 75 million followers, and she has recently used it to approach other global leaders such as Canada's Justin Trudeau and Argentina's Mauricio Macri on education issues.
Angelina Jolie puts movies aside for cooking, cleaning up poop
Angelina Jolie has put movie-making on hold to become a better mom, take cooking classes and do ordinary tasks like picking up dog poop.
In an interview with Vanity Fair released on Wednesday (July 26), the actress said life after splitting in September from husband Brad Pitt was focused on looking after her health and her children.
"I actually feel more of a woman because I feel like I'm being smart about my choices, and I'm putting my family first, and I'm in charge of my life and my health. I think that's what makes a woman complete," Jolie said.
