Today: October 11, 2024
Today: October 11, 2024

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Response to fiery Ohio derailment frustrated by poor communication and incomplete information

Firefighters who responded to February’s fiery train derailment in Ohio struggled to immediately identify the hazardous chemicals the train was hauling due to a lack of communication from the railroad, officials said Thursday. During a public hearing in East Palestine — where thousands of residents had to evacuate their homes because of the derailment — National Transportation Safety Board chairwoman Jennifer Homendy asked why Norfolk Southern was able to provide details of the freight to one of its contractors within 10 minutes of the Feb. 3 derailment, but that it took an hour to get that

Response to fiery Ohio derailment frustrated by poor communication and incomplete information
World

Live updates | NBA Draft starts with the annual fashion show

The players have arrived at Barclays Center for the NBA draft. And as always, the preshow was a fashion show. Soon-to-be No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama wore a green suit and a special necklace, telling ESPN that the stone appealed to him because it was unusual — not expensive. “I don’t care about wearing expensive stuff,” he said. Taylor Hendricks of UCF had a pinkish suit, the jacket lined with photos that represented his journey to the NBA and some of the people who mean the most to him. And there was a lot of sparkly.

Live updates | NBA Draft starts with the annual fashion show
World

DeSantis sues Biden administration over university accrediting system

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that the state has filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration and the U.S. Department of Education over accreditation agencies, which control federal aid for students. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale federal court, challenges a federal law that requires colleges and universities to submit to private accreditors to qualify for federal funding. It targets the U.S. Department of Education, Secretary Miguel Cardona and other federal officials. The lawsuit comes as DeSantis, who is seeking the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, imposes his conservative agenda on the state’s education system.

DeSantis sues Biden administration over university accrediting system
World

Bills trainers cite Hamlin case as example for schools, youth leagues to make life-saving plans

When Buffalo Bills trainers Nate Breske and Denny Kellington rushed onto the field following Damar Hamlin’s collapse in January, they stuck to the plan — right down to positioning Hamlin’s teammates to shield the television cameras. Their quick actions saved Hamlin’s life. Now they’re trying save others. On Thursday, Breske and Kellington told an athletic trainers convention in Indianapolis that pre-planning and regular practices helped prepare them for a worst-case scenario and they’re urging schools and youth leagues to start creating their own emergency action plans. “First up, I don’t think anything can prepare you for what

Bills trainers cite Hamlin case as example for schools, youth leagues to make life-saving plans
World

Fear stalks the funerals of victims of Honduras prison massacre

Fear simmered among the small knot of relatives gathered Thursday for the wake of a mother and daughter who were among 46 female inmates slaughtered in this week’s prison riot in Honduras. Relatives wept openly, but said they feared the Barrio 18 gang that carried out the massacre might come after the victims’ families as well. Rumors circulated among those at the wake that gang members had kidnapped women from the funeral of another victim. One mourner, who wouldn’t give his name, said Thursday “we are afraid.” Mourner Johanna Soriano Euceda said “the pain we are

Fear stalks the funerals of victims of Honduras prison massacre
World

TikTok COO to step down from the company after nearly 5 years in the role

TikTok’s Chief Operating Officer, V Pappas, is leaving the popular social media platform after nearly five years at the company. In a note sent to employees Thursday morning and later shared on Twitter, Pappas, who uses plural pronouns, said now that the company has achieved a lot of success, she felt it was the right time to move on and focus on “entrepreneurial passions.” TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said in a note sent to employees that Pappas, one of the company’s most public faces, will continue to serve as a strategic adviser. “I want to

TikTok COO to step down from the company after nearly 5 years in the role
World

A Titanic expert, an adventurer, a CEO, and a father and son were killed in Titan's implosion

A renowned Titanic expert, a world record-holding adventurer, two members of one of Pakistan’s wealthiest families and the CEO of the company leading an expedition to the world’s most famous shipwreck were killed aboard the Titan submersible when it imploded in the Atlantic Ocean sometime this week. The U.S. Coast Guard on Thursday said there were no survivors after the catastrophic implosion deep in the North Atlantic. The search for the submersible and its occupants — as well as any clues to explain what happened underwater — were ongoing Thursday after a deep-sea robot found debris near

A Titanic expert, an adventurer, a CEO, and a father and son were killed in Titan's implosion
World

Chris Paul traded to Warriors, Jordan Poole sent to Wizards, source tells AP

Chris Paul’s pursuit of an NBA championship is taking him to the Golden State Warriors, after they agreed to the framework of a trade on Thursday that will send Jordan Poole to the Washington Wizards, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. The trade also includes a package of draft capital, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade has not been finalized and approved by the NBA. ESPN first reported the agreement was struck by the teams. The Wizards agreed to acquire Paul from Phoenix last week, in the

Chris Paul traded to Warriors, Jordan Poole sent to Wizards, source tells AP
World

UN puts Russian forces on blacklist for killing children and attacking schools in Ukraine

The United Nations put Russian forces on its annual blacklist of countries that violate children’s rights in conflict for killing boys and girls and attacking schools and hospitals in Ukraine, according to a new report seen Thursday by The Associated Press. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in the report to the Security Council that he is “appalled” by the high number of “grave violations” against children in Ukraine in 2022, “shocked” at the number of attacks on schools and hospitals, “concerned” by the detention of children, and “troubled” that some Ukrainian children have been transferred to Russia.

UN puts Russian forces on blacklist for killing children and attacking schools in Ukraine
World

Senegal opposition leader Sonko's lawyer files a lawsuit in France and calls for an ICC inquiry

A lawyer for embattled Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko filed a criminal complaint in a French court on Thursday and also called for the International Criminal Court to investigate the Senegalese government’s recent deadly crackdown on protesters. The 168-page document accuses President Macky Sall and others of “crimes against humanity.” It comes in the wake of deadly protests earlier this month, sparked by criminal charges against Sonko that critics believe were politically motivated. The court filing, which was presented at a news conference on Thursday in Paris, details 50 deaths since March 2021. It names Senegal’s

Senegal opposition leader Sonko's lawyer files a lawsuit in France and calls for an ICC inquiry
World

UConn's Dan Hurley cashes in on national title with a new 6-year, $32.1M contract

UConn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley has cashed in on the Huskies national championship, agreeing to a new six-year, $32.1 million contract, the school announced Thursday. The deal, which runs through 2029, will pay Hurley an average of $5.35 million per season and includes incentives that could push his compensation higher, the school said. The school originally said the deal was worth $31.5 million, but said later that it had miscalculated the value. The contract replaces a package signed in 2018 when Hurley was hired that paid him about $3 million per season. “I am thrilled

UConn's Dan Hurley cashes in on national title with a new 6-year, $32.1M contract
World

Debt-plagued Zambia reaches deal with China, other nations to rework $6.3B in loans, French say

Zambia and its government creditors, including China, have reached a deal to restructure $6.3 billion in loans, the French government announced Thursday on the sidelines of a global finance summit in Paris. The agreement covers loans from countries including France, the UK, South Africa, Israel and India as well as China — Zambia’s biggest creditor at $4.1 billion of the total. The deal, announced by officials who spoke anonymously in accordance with the French government’s customary practices, may provide a roadmap for how lenient China may be with other nations in debt distress. The International Monetary Fund

Debt-plagued Zambia reaches deal with China, other nations to rework $6.3B in loans, French say
World

Canadian police release names of 16 seniors who died in bus crash

Canadian police released the names of 16 people who died in a crash between a minibus and a semitrailer a week ago at a highway intersection in a rural part of the Canadian province of Manitoba. One by one, officers and family members placed giant photos of the victims, who ranged in age from 68 to 88, at the front of a news conference on Thursday. The bus had been taking the group from Dauphin, Manitoba, and the surrounding area on a trip to a casino on June 15, when it crashed with the truck near

Canadian police release names of 16 seniors who died in bus crash
World

Google backs creation of cybersecurity clinics with $20 million donation

Free medical clinics and legal aid clinics, where college students and their instructors help their communities while also learning more about their professions, are now commonplace. Google hopes to add cybersecurity clinics to that list. Google CEO Sundar Pichai pledged $20 million in donations on Thursday to support and expand the Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics to introduce thousands of students to potential careers in cybersecurity, while also helping defend small government offices, rural hospitals and nonprofits from hacking. Pichai said the new initiative addresses both the rising number of cyberattacks — up 38% globally in 2022 –

Google backs creation of cybersecurity clinics with $20 million donation
World

Tech billionaires' cage match? Musk throws down the gauntlet and Zuckerberg accepts challenge

Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg are ready to fight, offline. In a now-viral back-and-forth seen on Twitter and Instagram this week, the two tech billionaires seemingly agreed to a “cage match” face off. It all started when Musk, who owns Twitter, responded to a tweet about Meta reportedly preparing to release a new Twitter rival called “Threads.” He took a dig about the world becoming “exclusively under Zuck’s thumb with no other options” — but then one Twitter user jokingly warned Musk of Zuckerberg’s jiu jitsu training. “I’m up for a cage match if he is lol,”

Tech billionaires' cage match? Musk throws down the gauntlet and Zuckerberg accepts challenge
World

Average long-term US mortgage rate falls to 6.67%, third straight drop since climbing to 2023 high

The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate fell for the third time in as many weeks, a welcome boost for homebuyers facing a housing market that’s been held back this year by a tight inventory of homes for sale. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rate on the benchmark 30-year home loan fell to 6.67% from 6.69% last week. A year ago, the rate averaged 5.81%. The average rate on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with those refinancing their homes, also fell this week, slipping to 6.03% from 6.10% last week. A year ago, it

Average long-term US mortgage rate falls to 6.67%, third straight drop since climbing to 2023 high
World

Past deep sea rescues show the challenges of saving those on board

The desperate search for a submersible that disappeared while taking five people to view the Titanic wreckage has drawn attention to other deep-sea rescues. Those rescue efforts — from a submersible off Ireland to a submarine off the New Hampshire coast — offer some measure of hope for the passengers and their families. But some of those rescues were not as complex as the effort to find the Titan submersible. They were often in shallower waters and, in several cases, were much bigger crafts. Many ended with some, if not all, the passengers on board dying —

Past deep sea rescues show the challenges of saving those on board
World

A year after fall of Roe, 25 million women live in states with abortion bans or tighter restrictions

One year ago, the U.S. Supreme Court rescinded a five-decade-old right to abortion, prompting a seismic shift in debates about politics, values, freedom and fairness. Twenty-five million women of childbearing age now live in states where the law makes abortions harder to get than they were before the ruling. Decisions about the law are largely in the hands of state lawmakers and courts. Most Republican-led states have restricted abortion. Fourteen ban abortion in most cases at any point in pregnancy. Twenty Democratic-leaning states have protected access. Here’s a look at what’s changed since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization

A year after fall of Roe, 25 million women live in states with abortion bans or tighter restrictions
World

Widow of slain Haitian president files lawsuit against suspects seeking trial and damages

Attorneys for the widow of slain Haitian President Jovenel Moïse filed a lawsuit Thursday in Florida against those accused in his assassination, which is still under investigation. The lawsuit, which was first shared with The Associated Press, seeks unspecified damages for Moïse’s family and a trial by jury in a push to hold the defendants responsible for the president’s death. “Whatever assets are out there, we will make sure these people will pay,” attorney Paul Turner told the AP. The lawsuit was filed nearly two years after the July 7, 2021 assassination of Moïse,

Widow of slain Haitian president files lawsuit against suspects seeking trial and damages
World

Kenya's new tax package angers some backers of president who once vowed to reduce cost of living

Kenyans are preparing for tough times after lawmakers approved tax increases that are even unpopular with supporters of the president who once vowed to reduce the cost of living. The doubling of the tax on petroleum products, from 8% to 16%, is expected to have a ripple effect on East Africa’s economic hub, with the prices of goods and services expected to increase. The administration of President William Ruto, who was elected last year, has only made things harder, one supporter said. “He said he was going to make life easier for us hustlers. We are

Kenya's new tax package angers some backers of president who once vowed to reduce cost of living
World

Winnie Ewing, icon of Scotland's pro-independence movement, dies at 93

Winnie Ewing, a charismatic politician considered to be the mother of the modern Scottish independence movement, has died. She was 93. Ewing’s relatives announced Thursday that she died the day before, “surrounded by her family.” The family statement said Ewing was “considered the most important Scottish politician of her generation.” Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that Scotland’s independence movement had lost “a beloved icon.” Trained as a lawyer, Winnifred Margaret Ewing joined the pro-independence Scottish National Party — then a small fringe group — and unexpectedly won election to the U.K. Parliament in 1967. Ewing greeted

Winnie Ewing, icon of Scotland's pro-independence movement, dies at 93
World

Home sales inch up in May amid record-low inventory and biggest annual drop in prices since 2011

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes edged higher in May and the national median sale price posted its biggest annual drop in more than a decade, even as the supply of available properties sank to an all-time low. Existing home sales rose 0.2% last month from April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.3 million, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday. That’s slightly above what economists were expecting, according to FactSet. Sales sank 20.4% compared with May last year. That marks 10 consecutive months of annual sales declines of 20% or more. The national

Home sales inch up in May amid record-low inventory and biggest annual drop in prices since 2011
World

Spirit Aerosystems, major airlines supplier, suspends plant operations after labor contract rejected

Spirit Aerosystems, a major supplier to the world’s largest aircraft manufacturers, is suspending operations at a critical Kansas plant after union workers there rejected a proposed four-year contract and authorized a strike. Approximately 6,000 members of the IAM District 70, Local 839 voted to reject Spirit Aerosystems’ best and last offer after 13 years without a fully negotiated agreement, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said in a prepared statement. Shares of Boeing Co. and Airbus slid about 2%, and shares of Spirit Aerosystems Holdings Inc. tumbled 10% at the opening bell. The tentative deal that was rejected

Spirit Aerosystems, major airlines supplier, suspends plant operations after labor contract rejected
World

Bolsonaro’s political future hangs in the balance as Brazilian court case begins

Brazil’s top electoral court on Thursday began hearing a case that could torpedo the political future of former President Jair Bolsonaro by rendering him ineligible for public office for eight years. Judges are evaluating a case filed by Brazil’s Democratic Labor Party, which claims the far-right leader abused his power by using government communication channels to promote his campaign and cast unfounded doubts on the country’s electronic voting system. While Bolsonaro often railed against the voting system, the suit’s focus is a meeting last year on July 18 that Bolsonaro convened at the presidential palace with

Bolsonaro’s political future hangs in the balance as Brazilian court case begins
World

German rail union threatens open-ended strikes over pay dispute

A German rail workers’ union said Thursday that it will ask its members to vote on all-out strike action after long-running salary talks with the main national railway operator broke down. The EVG union has already staged hours-long or one-day “warning strikes,” a common tactic in German wage negotiations. But it’s now threatening to move to longer walkouts as its negotiations with state-owned Deutsche Bahn have reached an impasse. Union leader Martin Burkert said authorization for open-ended strikes will require three quarters of all votes cast in the ballot that will take four to five weeks to

German rail union threatens open-ended strikes over pay dispute

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