Today: October 10, 2024
Today: October 10, 2024

Latest From The Los Angeles Post

World

Lake Tahoe officials tackle overtourism with focus on management, not marketing; new fees may loom

Lake Tahoe tourism officials were surprised, and a bit miffed, when a respected international travel guide put the iconic alpine lake straddling the California-Nevada line on its list of places to stay away from this year because of the harmful ecological effects of overtourism. But with an influx of visitors and new full-time residents due to the COVID-19 pandemic already forcing local leaders to revisit the decades-old conversation about overcrowding, “Fodor’s No List 2023” may have served as a wake-up call that some sort of change is necessary. “I can’t go to my own beaches

Lake Tahoe officials tackle overtourism with focus on management, not marketing; new fees may loom
World

Stock market today: Asian shares are mixed as investors weigh weakness in the tech sector

Shares were mixed Friday in Asia after the latest rally on Wall Street fizzled, with big declines for Tesla, Netflix and other big tech-oriented stocks. Hong Kong, Seoul and Bangkok advanced while Tokyo, Shanghai and Sydney declined. U.S. futures edged higher and oil prices also climbed. Taiwan’s Taiex 0.8% fell after TSMC, the world’s biggest manufacturer of computer chips, said it expects its sales to fall 10% this year as demand wanes. It also said it would not meet a 2024 target for starting production at a factory under construction in Arizona. TSMC’s shares fell 3.1%. Japan

Stock market today: Asian shares are mixed as investors weigh weakness in the tech sector
World

Attention turns to Mega Millions after California store sells winning Powerball ticket

Lottery dreamers are setting their sights on the growing Mega Millions jackpot drawing on Friday after a ticket worth more than $1 billion was sold for the Powerball lottery. Here’s a look at how this drawing compares to other jackpots and why these winnings have become so high. HOW DOES THIS LATEST MEGA MILLIONS JACKPOT STACK UP? The new jackpot for the Mega Millions drawing has reached an estimated $720 million, making it the game’s fifth highest. It hasn’t yet broken into the top 10 highest lottery jackpots in U.S. history, though. If someone picks all five numbers, plus the

Attention turns to Mega Millions after California store sells winning Powerball ticket
World

Alabama to carry out first lethal injection after review of execution procedures

Alabama plans to execute an inmate Friday morning for the 2001 beating death of a woman, in what would be the first lethal injection since the state paused executions following a string of problems with inserting the IVs. James Barber, 64, is scheduled to be put to death at a south Alabama prison. The U.S. Supreme Court denied Barber’s request for a stay shortly after midnight and cleared the way for the execution to begin. It is the first execution scheduled in the state since Gov. Kay Ivey paused executions in November to conduct an internal

Alabama to carry out first lethal injection after review of execution procedures
World

After decades of struggle for a place in Israel, dozens of Black Hebrews face threat of deportation

For two years, Toveet Israel and dozens of other residents of the Village of Peace have lived in fear. Dimona, a city on the edge of the nation of Israel’s Negev Desert, has been her home for 24 years. Her eight children were born here and know no other country. Now, she and 44 other undocumented members of the African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem face deportation. Receiving the order to leave two years ago was a “moment of disbelief” for Israel, 53. “I feel like the government has been merciless to me and my children,” she

After decades of struggle for a place in Israel, dozens of Black Hebrews face threat of deportation
World

Spain conservatives entrust Feijóo, the boring guy who wins every election by a landslide

Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the conservative politician who polls suggest is poised to become Spain’s next prime minister, likes to recall that at heart, he is just a mild-mannered “village boy” from the country’s rural northwest. A humble, forthright, even boring guy, as he likes to describe himself. The conservative Popular Party candidate for Sunday’s general election is mostly unknown outside Spain, but he has been the country’s most solid regional leader so far this century and has never lost an election. Feijóo was a political steamroller during the 13 years in which he governed Spain’s northwestern

Spain conservatives entrust Feijóo, the boring guy who wins every election by a landslide
World

Man with thousands of bullets and a grenade attacked police, killing officer. What was his plan?

It was a routine collision on a busy Fargo street. But after Mohamad Barakat drove past, armed with 1,800 rounds of ammunition, numerous firearms and a grenade, tragedy ensued. After the shooting ended on July 14, one police officer was dead, and two other officers as well as a woman in the crash were wounded, leaving authorities wondering what further carnage Barakat might have been planning. Officer Zach Robinson, the only officer in the melee who was not wounded, fatally shot Barakat with bystanders crouched nearby. More details are expected at a briefing Friday. Barakat, a

Man with thousands of bullets and a grenade attacked police, killing officer. What was his plan?
World

Alabama GOP proposals for second Black district are unlikely to win court approval, experts warn

Alabama lawmakers say they’re trying to satisfy a landmark Supreme Court order to draw a new district giving a voice to Black voters, but with hours to go before a court-ordered deadline Friday, experts say Republican proposals fall far short of what the law requires. The Republican-controlled state House and Senate will meet Friday and could advance separate plans increasing the share of Black voters in Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District. Legislative leaders say they intend to meet the deadline, meaning the two chambers must compromise on one plan. Both plans preserve the current Black majority of

Alabama GOP proposals for second Black district are unlikely to win court approval, experts warn
World

By pulling out of the Ukrainian grain deal, Russia risks alienating its few remaining partners

By pulling out of a landmark deal that allowed Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea, Russian President Vladimir Putin is taking a gamble that could badly damage Moscow’s relations with many of its partners that have stayed neutral or even been supportive of the Kremlin’s invasion of its neighbor. Russia also has played the role of spoiler at the United Nations, vetoing a resolution on extending humanitarian aid deliveries through a key border crossing in northwestern Syria and backing a push by Mali’s military junta to expel U.N. peacekeepers — abrupt moves that reflect Moscow’s readiness to raise the

By pulling out of the Ukrainian grain deal, Russia risks alienating its few remaining partners
World

Propaganda tool? Bargaining chip? What North Korea may have in mind for Travis King

So what will North Korea do about the first U.S. soldier in decades to flee into its territory? Its official media have yet to mention Pvt. Travis King, there’s little precedent for his situation and guesses about the country’s next steps vary widely. Unauthorized crossings across the Koreas’ heavily fortified border are extremely rare. The few Americans who crossed into North Korea in the past were a few soldiers, missionaries, human rights advocates or those simply curious about one of the world’s most cloistered societies. North Korea has used a varied playbook in its handlings

Propaganda tool? Bargaining chip? What North Korea may have in mind for Travis King
World

Northeast floods devastate 'heartbroken' farmers as months of labor and crops are swept away

Well before it was warm enough to plant seedlings in the ground, farmer Micah Barritt began nursing crops like watermelon, eggplant and tomatoes — eventually transplanting them from his greenhouse into rich Vermont soil, hoping for a bountiful fall harvest. Within a few hours last week, those hopes were washed away when flood waters inundated the small farm, destroying a harvest with a value he estimated at $250,000. He still hopes to replant short-season crops like mustard greens, spinach, bok choy and kale “The loss of the crops is a very tangible way to measure the flood, but the loss

Northeast floods devastate 'heartbroken' farmers as months of labor and crops are swept away
World

Rescue efforts have resumed in western India where a landslide killed at least 16 people

Rescue efforts resumed Friday after an overnight halt in India’s western Maharashtra state where a landslide triggered by torrential rains killed at least 16 people, with many others feared trapped under debris, officials said. Scores of rescuers and trained trekkers have been deployed to find people trapped by the landslide, which occurred late Wednesday night, the state’s deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis tweeted. Harsh weather conditions have hampered rescue efforts and authorities have sent in medical teams to help the injured, he added. Search operations were suspended on Thursday night due to heavy rainfall plus the

Rescue efforts have resumed in western India where a landslide killed at least 16 people
World

Sunak's Conservatives suffer big defeats but avoid a wipeout in trio of UK special elections

Britain’s governing Conservative Party avoided a drubbing Friday in a trio of special elections, managing to hold onto former premier Boris Johnson’s seat in suburban London. Though the main opposition Labour Party and the smaller centrist Liberal Democrats overturned massive Conservative majorities to win a seat apiece, the Conservatives found some crumbs of comfort in their narrow success in Uxbridge and South Ruislip in west London. Labour won the seat of Selby and Ainsty in northern England while the Liberal Democrats took Somerton and Frome in southwest England, with voters from both parties clearly backing the party

Sunak's Conservatives suffer big defeats but avoid a wipeout in trio of UK special elections
World

Autocratic Cambodian leader paving way for son, a West Point graduate with PhD in economics, to rule

Cambodia’s Hun Sen has been his country’s autocratic prime minister for nearly four decades, during which the opposition has been stifled and the country has grown increasingly close to China. With his Cambodian People’s Party virtually guaranteed another landslide victory in this Sunday’s election, it’s hard to imagine dramatic change on the horizon. But the 70-year-old former communist Khmer Rouge fighter and Asia’s longest-serving leader says he is ready to hand the premiership to his oldest son, Hun Manet, a four-star general who heads the country’s army. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at

Autocratic Cambodian leader paving way for son, a West Point graduate with PhD in economics, to rule
World

UK banking boss apologizes to populist politician Farage over the closure of his account

The chief executive of U.K. bank NatWest Group apologised Thursday to populist politician Nigel Farage after he complained that his bank account was shut down because the banking group didn’t agree with his political views. Farage, a talk show presenter and former leader of the pro-Brexit U.K. Independence Party, said his account with the prestigious private bank Coutts, owned by NatWest Group, was closed down unfairly. He shared documents he obtained from the bank with Mail Online, the Daily Mail tabloid’s online outlet, that allegedly showed bank officials writing that continuing to retain Farage as a customer

UK banking boss apologizes to populist politician Farage over the closure of his account
World

Why does Sweden allow Quran burnings? Like much of West, it has no blasphemy laws

A recent string of public desecrations of the Quran by a handful of anti-Islam activists in Sweden has sparked an angry reaction in Muslim countries and raised questions – including in Sweden – about why such acts are allowed. In the latest such incident, an Iraqi living in Sweden on Thursday stomped on and kicked Islam’s holy book in a two-man rally outside the Iraqi Embassy in Stockholm. The protest was authorized by Swedish police, who kept a handful of agitated counterdemonstrators at a safe distance. The same Iraqi man burned a Quran outside a Stockholm mosque

Why does Sweden allow Quran burnings? Like much of West, it has no blasphemy laws
World

Japanese, US, and South Korean officials condemn the North's weapons plans but urge dialogue

Senior officials from Japan, the U.S. and South Korea condemned North Korea over its recent ICBM-class ballistic missile launches and vowed to step up their trilateral cooperation to strengthen deterrence and sanctions against the North, while stressing the need for dialogue with Pyongyang. Their meeting Thursday in the central Japanese city of Karuizawa comes days after North Korea’s solid-fuel ICBM launch last week, which landed in the water off the western coast of Japan’s northern main island of Hokkaido and one day after the launch of two missiles on Wednesday. The U.S. special representative for North Korea,

Japanese, US, and South Korean officials condemn the North's weapons plans but urge dialogue
World

Jaguars associate strength coach Kevin Maxen comes out as gay in a first for US-based pro leagues

Kevin Maxen, an associate strength coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars, has become the first male coach in a major U.S.-based professional league to come out as gay. Maxen spoke about his sexual orientation in an interview published Thursday by Outsports. “I don’t want to feel like I have to think about it anymore,” Maxen said. “I don’t want to feel like I have to lie about who I am seeing, or why I am living with someone else. “I want to be vocal in support of people living how they want to live, but I also

Jaguars associate strength coach Kevin Maxen comes out as gay in a first for US-based pro leagues
World

Ex-Venezuelan spy chief pleads not guilty to charges alleging he flooded US with drugs

A former Venezuelan spy chief and longtime adviser to the country’s late leader Hugo Chávez pleaded not guilty Thursday in a New York courtroom to decade-old drug trafficking charges, a day after his extradition from Spain. Retired Maj. Gen. Hugo Carvajal, 63, agreed during an initial appearance in Manhattan federal court to remain behind bars while his lawyers prepare a bail proposal to present to the judge who will handle his case. Prosecutors want him to remain behind bars. Carvajal, in a white shirt and beige pants, did not speak during the brief court proceeding except

Ex-Venezuelan spy chief pleads not guilty to charges alleging he flooded US with drugs
World

Australian castaway recounts comfort he felt adrift at sea, thanks to meditation, swimming and dog

He quit his corporate job and moved to Mexico to pursue his dream of sailing solo across the ocean. Australian Timothy Shaddock, 54, bought his 30-foot catamaran two years ago in the Mexican Pacific resort of Puerto Vallarta. He needed a place to live and he liked the isolation. “Of course, living on a boat and sailing on a boat is two different things and that was more of a challenge,” Shaddock told The Associated Press Wednesday after stepping onto land for the first time in months. As his training ground Shaddock chose the Sea of

Australian castaway recounts comfort he felt adrift at sea, thanks to meditation, swimming and dog
World

Annual Hemingway Look-Alike Contest begins in Florida Keys

Almost 140 bearded men who resemble Ernest Hemingway converged on Key West, the late author’s home during the 1930s, to compete in the Hemingway Look-Alike Contest that began Thursday evening. The challenge is a highlight of the island’s Hemingway Days festival that salutes the literary talent and adventurous life of the Nobel Prize-winning writer. During his Key West years, Hemingway penned classics including “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and “To Have and Have Not.” The three-night look-alike competition is held at Sloppy Joe’s Bar, where Hemingway often spent time with local and literary friends. Closely

Annual Hemingway Look-Alike Contest begins in Florida Keys
World

Colton Cowser hits 10th-inning sacrifice fly as Baltimore Orioles top Tampa Bay Rays 4-3

Colton Cowser hit a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning, and the AL East-leading Baltimore Orioles beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 on Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series between the American League’s top teams. Baltimore started the day in first place for the first time after the All-Star break since Aug, 15, 2016. The Orioles, who started July 6½ games back, now have a one-game lead. Aaron Hicks opened the 10th at second as the automatic runner. He advanced on pinch-hitter Adam Frazier’s sacrifice bunt and scampered home on Cowser’s fly

Colton Cowser hits 10th-inning sacrifice fly as Baltimore Orioles top Tampa Bay Rays 4-3
World

Undue influence? Anonymous donations to World Health Organization's new foundation raise concerns

Nearly 40% of the money raised by the WHO Foundation in its first two years came from anonymous sources, worrying some that donors may be trying to influence the World Health Organization and its role in shaping global health policy with their gifts. The foundation, launched in 2020 to help raise private sector funds for the WHO, said it received $66 million in direct gifts through 2022, with $26 million coming from donors who chose not to be publicly named. Anil Soni, WHO Foundation CEO, told The Associated Press the foundation’s board, which includes a representative from the WHO, knows

Undue influence? Anonymous donations to World Health Organization's new foundation raise concerns
World

Commanders' Dan Snyder fined $60 million for sexually harassing employee, financial improprieties

Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder sexually harassed a team employee and oversaw team executives who deliberately withheld millions of dollars in revenue from other clubs, and he has agreed to pay a $60 million fine, the league announced Thursday. The NFL released a 23-page report detailing the findings of an independent investigation into Snyder’s conduct just minutes after its owners unanimously approved the sale of the Commanders to Josh Harris for a record $6.05 billion. The fine represents 1% of the sale price; Snyder bought the team, then known as the Redskins, for $800 million. The investigation was led by

Commanders' Dan Snyder fined $60 million for sexually harassing employee, financial improprieties
World

Fleetwood among British Open leaders. McIlroy among the survivors.

The British Open showed again Thursday that even after 163 years, golf’s oldest championship can still deliver a few surprises. It started with Christo Lamprecht, the South African amateur as tall as a flag stick and almost as thin, making three birdies over his last six holes and posting a 5-under 66 to become the first amateur in 12 years to share the 18-hole lead at the Open. Curiosity about the 22-year-old amateur turned to glee at the site of local hero, Tommy Fleetwood, running off three straight birdies on the back nine at Royal Liverpool

Fleetwood among British Open leaders. McIlroy among the survivors.

Follow