Today: October 07, 2024
Today: October 07, 2024

Latest From The Los Angeles Post

World

Is it India? Is it Bharat? Speculations abound as government pushes for the country’s Sanskrit name

It began with a dinner invitation. How it ends could affect more than a billion people. State-issued invites sent to guests of this week’s G20 meeting referred to India’s president, Droupadi Murmu, as “President of Bharat.” Suddenly, in many circles, the question was everywhere: Would the country of more than 1.4 billion now be called by its ancient Sanskrit name? Since then, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ’s ministers, his Hindu nationalist supporters, Bollywood stars and cricketers have made similar public proclamations: India should officially be rebranded as Bharat. India is known by two names: India, used

Is it India? Is it Bharat? Speculations abound as government pushes for the country’s Sanskrit name
World

Rain pouring onto Hong Kong and southern China floods city streets and subway stations

Rain pouring onto Hong Kong and southern China overnight flooded city streets and some subway stations, halting transportation and forcing schools to close Friday. Videos circulating on social media show flooded streets in Hong Kong and nearby Guangdong province, with vehicles driving through the water and rescue teams using rafts to navigate the streets. Water rushed down the stairs and escalators of a flooded underground subway station in Hong Kong, and cars were caught in muddy water on flooded streets, including in the cross-harbor tunnel that connects Hong Kong Island with Kowloon. The heavy downpours led

Rain pouring onto Hong Kong and southern China floods city streets and subway stations
World

Massachusetts investigates teen's death as company pulls spicy One Chip Challenge from store shelves

The maker of an extremely spicy tortilla chip said Thursday it is working to remove the product from stores as Massachusetts authorities investigate the death of a teen whose family pointed to the One Chip Challenge popularized as a dare on social media as a contributing factor. The cause of Harris Wolobah’s death on Sept. 1 has yet to be determined and an autopsy is pending, but the 14-year-old’s family blamed the challenge. Since his death, Texas-based manufacturer Paqui has asked retailers to stop selling the individually wrapped chips, a step 7-Eleven has already taken. A

Massachusetts investigates teen's death as company pulls spicy One Chip Challenge from store shelves
World

Hong Kong closes schools as torrential rain floods streets, subway station

Hong Kong on Friday closed schools and halted trading on the stock exchange as torrential rain lashed the city overnight, flooding streets in parts of the city as well as an underground subway station. Heavy rains poured down on the city from Thursday night, with the government warning that the weather would last till noon Friday. The Hong Kong Observatory said it recorded 158.1 mm (6.2 inches) of rain in the hour between 11 p.m. Thursday and midnight, the highest recording since records began in 1884. The highest “black” rainstorm warning, the first in nearly two

Hong Kong closes schools as torrential rain floods streets, subway station
World

Latin America women's rights groups say their abortion win in Mexico may hold the key to US struggle

Women’s rights activists in Latin America have long looked to the United States as a model in their decades-long struggle to chip away at abortion restrictions in their highly religious countries. But after a historic Mexican Supreme Court ruling decriminalizing abortion on the federal level, some think U.S. activists should now turn to their counterparts south of the border as they navigate a post-Roe v. Wade reality. “In Mexico we have a lot of experience,” said Rebeca Ramos, a lawyer and director of GIRE, the organization behind the Mexican court case. “And given the current situation

Latin America women's rights groups say their abortion win in Mexico may hold the key to US struggle
World

Russia holds elections in occupied Ukrainian regions in an effort to tighten its grip there

Russian authorities are holding local elections this weekend in occupied parts of Ukraine in an effort to tighten their grip on territories Moscow illegally annexed a year ago and still does not fully control. The voting for Russian-installed legislatures in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions begins Friday and concludes Sunday. It has already been denounced by Kyiv and the West. “It constitutes a flagrant violation of international law, which Russia continues to disregard,” the Council of Europe, the continent’s foremost human rights body, said this week. Kyiv echoed that sentiment, with the parliament saying

Russia holds elections in occupied Ukrainian regions in an effort to tighten its grip there
World

India seeking greater voice for developing world at G20, but Ukraine war may overshadow talks

It’s never been easy for the leaders of the world’s largest economies to find common ground, but the global ramifications of Russia’s war on Ukraine mean even greater challenges for meaningful agreement at the Group of 20 meeting this year. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this year’s host, has pledged not to let Ukraine overshadow the needs of the mostly developing nations in the so-called “ Global South,” but many of those issues are closely affected by the war. “New Delhi will not want to distract from the main agenda, which is to address issues of

India seeking greater voice for developing world at G20, but Ukraine war may overshadow talks
World

Canada announces public inquiry into whether China, Russia and others interfered in elections

Canada announced Wednesday that a judge would lead a public inquiry into whether China, Russia and other countries interfered in Canadian federal elections in 2019 and 2021 that re-elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals. Opposition Conservative lawmakers have demanded a full public inquiry into alleged Chinese interference since reports surfaced earlier this year citing intelligence sources saying China worked to support the Liberals and to defeat Conservative politicians considered unfriendly to Beijing. The opposition New Democrat party later pushed to expand any inquiry to include Russia, Iran and India. Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Thursday that

Canada announces public inquiry into whether China, Russia and others interfered in elections
World

North Korea says it has launched a new nuclear attack submarine to counter US naval power

North Korea said Friday it has launched a purported nuclear attack submarine it has been developing for years, a step leader Kim Jong Un described as crucial in his efforts to build a nuclear-armed navy to counter the United States and its Asian allies. The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said the vessel – named “Hero Kim Kun Ok” – is designed to launch tactical nuclear weapons from underwater but did not specify the number of missiles it could carry and fire. In his speeches at the vessel’s launching ceremony on Wednesday and an

North Korea says it has launched a new nuclear attack submarine to counter US naval power
World

Congressional watchdog describes border wall harm, says agencies should work together to ease damage

The construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border under former President Donald Trump toppled untold numbers of saguaro cactuses in Arizona, put endangered ocelots at risk in Texas and disturbed Native American burial grounds, the official congressional watchdog said Thursday. A report released by the Government Accountability Office offers the first independent assessment of damage caused by the building of more than 450 miles ( 724 km) of wall while in-depth environmental reviews were waived and the concerns of Native American tribes went largely ignored in the rush to finish the barrier. Now, U.S. Customs and

Congressional watchdog describes border wall harm, says agencies should work together to ease damage
World

2 attacks by Islamist insurgents in Mali leave 49 civilians and 15 soldiers dead, military says

Two attacks by Islamist insurgents in the restive north of Mali on Thursday killed 49 civilians and 15 government soldiers, according to a provisional death toll given by the country’s military junta read on state television. A passenger boat near the city of Timbuktu on the Niger river and a Malian military position in Bamba further downstream in the Gao region were targeted, according to the statement, which said the attacks have been claimed by Islamist extremist insurgent group JNIM, an umbrella coalition of armed groups aligned with al-Qaida. The Malian government announcement said its forces,

2 attacks by Islamist insurgents in Mali leave 49 civilians and 15 soldiers dead, military says
World

Former FTX crypto executive pleads guilty to making millions in illegal campaign contributions

A former top executive at the failed FTX cryptocurrency exchange pleaded guilty Thursday to making tens of millions of dollars in illegal campaign contributions to U.S. politicians and engaging in a criminal conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transfer business. Ryan Salame, the former co-chief executive of FTX Digital Markets, is the fourth high-ranking official at the company or its affiliates to plead guilty to criminal charges. Under a deal with prosecutors, he agreed to forfeit up to $1.55 billion in assets. He could also be called as a witness to testify at the trial of

Former FTX crypto executive pleads guilty to making millions in illegal campaign contributions
World

Texas AG Ken Paxton's impeachment trial defense includes claims of a Republican plot to remove him

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has long denied corruption accusations that have dogged him for years. But as his impeachment trial gets underway, another defense is emerging: that fellow Republicans plotted to oust him. His attorneys have so far presented no evidence in the trial, which continued Thursday, that Paxton was the victim of an attempt to replace him. But as former aides give testimony about how Paxton pressured them to help a political donor who was under FBI investigation, Paxton’s attorneys have raised questions about lobbyists and a meeting at Gov. Greg Abbott’s office, and

Texas AG Ken Paxton's impeachment trial defense includes claims of a Republican plot to remove him
World

Texas heat brings the state's power grid closest it has been to outages since 2021 winter storm

Texas’ power grid manager on Thursday again asked residents to cut their electricity use as the state endures another stretch of sizzling summer heat. The request carried fresh urgency, coming the day after the system was pushed to the brink of outages for the first time since a deadly winter blackout in 2021. The request by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which serves most of the state’s 30 million residents, came a day after low energy reserves prompted the grid operator to issue a level 2 energy emergency alert. Operating reserves fell as demand surged amid

Texas heat brings the state's power grid closest it has been to outages since 2021 winter storm
World

Company pulls spicy One Chip Challenge from store shelves as Massachusetts investigates teen's death

The maker of an extremely spicy tortilla chip sold as the One Chip Challenge and popularized as a dare on social media is pulling the product after the family of a Massachusetts teenager blamed the stunt for his death. The cause of Harris Wolobah’s death last Friday hasn’t been determined and an autopsy was still pending as of Thursday, but the 14-year-old’s family blames the challenge. Since his death, the Texas-based manufacturer, Paqui, has asked retailers to stop selling the individually wrapped chips — a step 7-Eleven has already taken. The One Chip Challenge chip sells

Company pulls spicy One Chip Challenge from store shelves as Massachusetts investigates teen's death
World

Biden will nominate a former Obama official to run the Federal Aviation Administration

President Joe Biden will nominate a former Obama administration official to lead the Federal Aviation Administration after his first choice withdrew March after running into opposition from Republican senators. The White House said Thursday that Biden will nominate Michael G. Whitaker, a former deputy administrator at the FAA. He is currently the chief operating officer of a Hyundai affiliate working to develop an air taxi aircraft. Whitaker’s nomination had been expected for months, and Biden’s announcement was praised by several industry and labor groups. The FAA, which regulates airline safety and manages the nation’s airspace, has been run by back-to-back

Biden will nominate a former Obama official to run the Federal Aviation Administration
World

Louisiana grand jury charges 91-year-old disgraced priest with sexual assault of teenage boy in 1975

A state grand jury has charged a now-91-year-old disgraced priest with sexually assaulting a teenage boy in 1975, an extraordinary prosecution that could shed new light on what Roman Catholic Church leaders knew about a child sex abuse crisis that persisted for decades and claimed hundreds of victims. The priest, Lawrence Hecker, has been at the center of state and federal investigations of clergy sex abuse and a deepening scandal over why church leaders failed to report his admissions to law enforcement even as they permitted him to work around children until he quietly left the

Louisiana grand jury charges 91-year-old disgraced priest with sexual assault of teenage boy in 1975
World

Kosovo's president says Serb investigators are dragging their feet over attacks on NATO peacekeepers

Kosovo’s president on Thursday accused Serbian investigators of dragging their feet over an inquiry into attacks on NATO peacekeepers earlier this year in which dozens of troops and police officers were injured, some of them seriously. President Vjosa Osmani also called on European Union officials to refrain from showing any favoritism in talks next week aimed at improving Kosovo’s tense relations with Serbia. “Those who attacked NATO on the 29th of May are clearly known to law enforcement agencies,” she told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels after talks with Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. Video footage, Osmani said,

Kosovo's president says Serb investigators are dragging their feet over attacks on NATO peacekeepers
World

Thousands rally in support of Israel's judicial overhaul before a major court hearing next week

Several thousand protesters supporting the Israeli government’s judicial overhaul rallied in front of the Supreme Court in Jerusalem on Thursday, before a pivotal hearing next week on the legality of the first major bill of the overhaul. The bill, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right coalition passed in July, bans the Supreme Court from striking down government decisions it deems unreasonable. With leading politicians signaling they won’t respect a court decision striking down the law, the stage could be set for a constitutional crisis. The hearing is set for Tuesday, though a ruling is likely months away.

Thousands rally in support of Israel's judicial overhaul before a major court hearing next week
World

Brussels Midi Station, once a stately gateway to Belgium, has turned into festering sore of nation

Belgium acknowledged Thursday that its major rail gateway, the Brussels Midi Station, has become a festering sore of drug abuse, poverty and violence that is a major stain on a nation preparing to take on the presidency of the European Union. The government vowed to tackle the problem, but some critics say action is coming way too late, while others say that any cleanup operation will only push the big-city problems to other neighborhoods. Belgium, one of the wealthiest nations in the world, with a major tourism industry, has neglected the once-stately Midi Station for decades. It

Brussels Midi Station, once a stately gateway to Belgium, has turned into festering sore of nation
World

With strike looming, General Motors makes wage offer, which auto union leader calls 'insulting'

General Motors’ first wage-and-benefit offer to the United Auto Workers on Thursday fell far short of the union’s initial demands. The offer comes just a week before the UAW’s national contracts with GM, Stellantis and Ford expire, and even though both sides are far apart, it’s a sign of movement on economic issues. Still, union President Shawn Fain called the offer “insulting.” He is threatening to strike against any automaker that hasn’t reached a tentative agreement by the time contracts expire at 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 14. A strike against one or more automakers by up to

With strike looming, General Motors makes wage offer, which auto union leader calls 'insulting'
World

Man charged with aiding Whitmer kidnap plot testifies in own defense

One of three men accused of assisting a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer testified in his own defense Thursday, telling jurors that government-imposed restrictions during the pandemic were excessive. Eric Molitor, 39, and twin brothers William Null and Michael Null are charged with providing material support for terrorist acts and gun crimes in a 2020 scheme to kidnap Whitmer at her vacation home in northern Michigan’s Antrim County. Molitor’s decision to testify was a rare move: In four trials so far in state and federal courts, only one other defendant has taken the witness stand. He was acquitted.

Man charged with aiding Whitmer kidnap plot testifies in own defense
World

Maui beckons tourists, and their dollars, to stave off economic disaster after wildfires

Richie Olsten has been in Maui’s helicopter tour business for a half century, so long he’s developed a barometer for the tourism-dependent economy: rental cars parked at the island’s airport. There are so many since wildfires killed 115 people in the historic town of Lahaina that Olsten is worried about a full-blown economic catastrophe. Restaurants and tour companies are laying off workers and unemployment is surging. State tourism officials, after initially urging travelers to stay away, are now asking them to come back, avoid the burn zone and help Maui recover by spending their money. Airlines

Maui beckons tourists, and their dollars, to stave off economic disaster after wildfires
World

Slave descendants on Georgia island face losing protections that helped them keep their land

Descendants of enslaved people who populate a tiny island community are once again fighting local officials who have proposed eliminating protections that for decades helped shield the Gullah-Geechee residents from high taxes and pressure to sell their land to developers. Residents of Hogg Hummock say they were stunned last month when McIntosh County commissioners unveiled a proposal to cast aside zoning ordinances that limit homes to modest sizes in the enclave of 30 to 50 Black residents on Sapelo Island off the coast of Georgia. The rules were enacted in 1994 for the sole purpose of

Slave descendants on Georgia island face losing protections that helped them keep their land
World

Myanmar's jailed former leader Aung San Suu Kyi is ailing but is denied care outside prison

Myanmar’s imprisoned former leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, is suffering from symptoms of low blood pressure including dizziness and loss of appetite, but has been denied treatment at qualified facilities outside the prison system, a medical worker said Thursday. Suu Kyi, 78, who was arrested in February 2021 when the army seized power from her elected government, fell ill late last month, said the medical worker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of being punished by the military authorities. Separately, a military officer who also insisted on anonymity confirmed a report by the BBC’s

Myanmar's jailed former leader Aung San Suu Kyi is ailing but is denied care outside prison

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