Today: October 08, 2024
Today: October 08, 2024

Latest From The Los Angeles Post

World

Estonia's pro-Ukrainian PM faces pressure to quit over husband's indirect Russian business links

Estonia’s strongly pro-Ukrainian Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, came under increasing pressure Friday to resign, after Estonian media revealed her husband’s role in a company that indirectly did business in Russia after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year. Kallas, 46, one of Europe’s most outspoken supporters of Ukraine, had urged all EU companies to stop doing business with Russia after the war in Ukraine began in February 2022. Her husband, Arvo Hallik, said Friday he would sell his 25% stake in Stark Logistics, a trucking company that worked with an Estonian company involved in Russia. He

Estonia's pro-Ukrainian PM faces pressure to quit over husband's indirect Russian business links
World

Michigan storms with 75 mph winds down trees and power lines, five people killed

Severe storms powered by winds of up to 75 mph (121 kph) in Michigan downed trees, tore roofs off buildings and killed five people while leaving hundreds of thousands of customers without power, officials said. The National Weather Service said Friday some of the damage may have been caused by two tornadoes. In western Michigan, the Kent County Sheriff’s Office said a 21-year-old woman and two girls, ages 1 and 3, died Thursday night after two vehicles collided head-on as it was raining. “There was two vehicles traveling toward each other. One hydroplaned on water and

Michigan storms with 75 mph winds down trees and power lines, five people killed
World

George Soros' Open Society Foundations intend to cut programs in Europe, worrying grantees

Open Society Foundations plan to significantly curtail their work in Europe and lay off much of their staff on the continent, the foundations’ leaders told staff in Berlin, according to an internal email and several current employees, who say the decision is painful and perplexing. The planned European cuts, as described in an internal email viewed by The Associated Press, would represent a historic break with the roots of billionaire philanthropist George Soros’ support for civil society through education, human rights work and policy research, which started in his native Hungary more than three decades ago. The strategic change coincides

George Soros' Open Society Foundations intend to cut programs in Europe, worrying grantees
World

Nerve agents, poison and window falls. Over the years, Kremlin foes have been attacked or killed

The attacks range from the exotic — poisoned by drinking polonium-laced tea or touching a deadly nerve agent — to the more mundane of getting shot at close range. Some take a fatal plunge from an open window. Over the years, Kremlin political critics, turncoat spies and investigative journalists have been killed or assaulted in a variety of ways. None, however, has been known to perish in an air accident. But on Wednesday, a private plane carrying a mercenary chief who staged a brief rebellion in Russia plummeted into a field from tens of thousands of

Nerve agents, poison and window falls. Over the years, Kremlin foes have been attacked or killed
World

Kremlin denies role in plane crash believed to have killed Russian mercenary leader Prigozhin

The Kremlin on Friday rejected allegations it was behind a plane crash that is presumed to have killed mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose brutal fighters were feared in Ukraine, Africa and Syria and conducted a brief but shocking mutiny in Russia two months ago. Prigozhin, who was listed among those on board the plane, was eulogized Thursday by President Vladimir Putin, even as suspicions grew that the Russian leader was behind a crash that many saw as an assassination. A preliminary U.S. intelligence assessment concluded the plane was downed Wednesday by an intentional explosion. One of the U.S. and Western

Kremlin denies role in plane crash believed to have killed Russian mercenary leader Prigozhin
World

Firefighters in Greece discover another body, bringing this week's death toll from wildfires to 21

Authorities battling a major wildfire in northeastern Greece that has been described as the European Union’s largest single recorded fire recovered another body, the fire department said Friday, bringing the total death toll from wildfires in Greece this week to 21. The fire department said firefighters recovered the body of a man from the Dadia-Lefkimi-Soufli Forest National Park, which lies near the border with Turkey, on Thursday. Eighteen bodies were discovered Tuesday near a shack in an area near the northeastern city of Alexandroupolis, and the body of another person was found Monday in a forest.

Firefighters in Greece discover another body, bringing this week's death toll from wildfires to 21
World

Zimbabweans anxiously wait for election results as armed police gather with water cannons

Zimbabweans waited anxiously Friday for the outcome of general elections as dozens of armed police with water cannons guarded the national results center, the scene of deadly violence after the previous vote five years ago. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission said it was still verifying results from close to 12,500 polling stations across the country and could start releasing details Friday. Results in the presidential balloting are not expected for several days. Zimbabwe’s long history of disputed elections has left many wary of official results. Voting closed Thursday after delays in distributing ballot papers in the capital,

Zimbabweans anxiously wait for election results as armed police gather with water cannons
World

Taiwan's vice president accuses China of attempting to influence upcoming elections

Taiwan’s vice president and front-runner in upcoming presidential elections accused China on Friday of employing unfair trade practices that could be used to influence the voting. William Lai, in a meeting with foreign journalists in Taipei, said China “will be hoping to interfere in the elections with all sorts of tactics.” If they succeed, he said, “it will be an undermining of Taiwan’s democracy.” His comments come after China announced on Monday that it was suspending mango imports from Taiwan, alleging that authorities had detected pests on the fruit. The trade curb is widely believed to

Taiwan's vice president accuses China of attempting to influence upcoming elections
World

Legionnaires' disease kills 7 people in a strategic Polish city on the Ukrainian border

Poland’s internal security officers were searching for the source of a deadly outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease which has killed seven people and infected more than 100 others in the strategic city of Rzeszow, near the border with Ukraine, authorities said Friday. The region of Rzeszow, in Poland’s southeast, is a key transit hub for international military support for Ukraine, following Russia’s full-scale invasion last year. Some 10,000 U.S. troops are also stationed in the area. Officials from the Internal Security Agency were inspecting various sites in Rzeszow, but primarily the water pipelines, where experts suppose the

Legionnaires' disease kills 7 people in a strategic Polish city on the Ukrainian border
World

Spain soccer chief will face an emergency meeting as reports say he will resign for kissing a player

The president of the Spanish soccer federation faces an emergency meeting of its general assembly on Friday amid media reports that he will hand in his resignation following an uproar for kissing a Women’s World Cup champion. Luis Rubiales is expected to stand before representatives of Spain’s regional federations, clubs, players, coaches and referees in Madrid at noon local time and local media say he is stepping down. The federation has refused to comment on repeated requests from The Associated Press for confirmation of Rubiales’ decision to go that was reported late Thursday. Rubiales, 46, is

Spain soccer chief will face an emergency meeting as reports say he will resign for kissing a player
World

Stock market today: Asian shares mostly decline ahead of Federal Reserve’s Powell speech

Asian shares mostly fell Friday, discouraged by a Wall Street slump that followed a blowout profit report from Nvidia and mixed reports on the United States economy. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 dropped 2.0% to 31,634.37 in afternoon trading. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dipped 0.9% to 7,118.20. South Korea’s Kospi lost 0.8% to 2,516.63. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slipped 0.5% to 18,126.36, while the Shanghai Composite shed less than 0.1% to 3,081.14. Tokyo inflation eased to 2.9% in August from the previous year, largely because of lower energy prices, according to government data. The consumer price index, excluding fresh

Stock market today: Asian shares mostly decline ahead of Federal Reserve’s Powell speech
World

President of Guyana demands slavery reparations ahead of apology from plantation owner descendants

Guyana president Irfaan Ali on Thursday lashed out at the descendants of European slave traders, saying those who profited from the cruel, trans-Atlantic slave trade should offer to pay reparations to today’s generations. The leader of the South American country also proposed that those involved in the slave trade be posthumously charged for crimes against humanity. Ali spoke ahead of Friday’s planned formal apology in Guyana by the descendants of Scottish 19th-century sugar and coffee plantation owner John Gladstone, saying the apology should also include issues of compensation and reparative justice. The president said that while

President of Guyana demands slavery reparations ahead of apology from plantation owner descendants
World

Italian leader tones down divisive rhetoric but carries on with pursuit of far-right agenda

When Giorgia Meloni was running to become Italy’s first far-right head of government of the post-war era, she steeped her winning campaign in the sharply ideological rhetoric of national sovereignty, “traditional families” and fear of migrants. Since taking office in September, Premier Meloni has toned down the bombast reflected in the slogans she shouted last year at a rally in Spain for a far-right ally — “ Yes to natural families! No to LGBT lobbies!” But her government and her party’s lawmakers are still pursuing multiple far-right policies, including refusing to allow the names of some same-sex

Italian leader tones down divisive rhetoric but carries on with pursuit of far-right agenda
World

Biden's shift on F-16s for Ukraine came after months of internal debate

President Joe Biden’s decision to allow allies to train Ukrainian forces on how to operate F-16 fighter jets — and eventually to provide the aircraft themselves — seemed like an abrupt change in position but was in fact one that came after months of internal debate and quiet talks with allies. Biden announced during last week’s Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, Japan, that the U.S. would join the F-16 coalition. His green light came after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spent months pressing the West to provide his forces with American-made jets as he tries to repel Russia’s

Biden's shift on F-16s for Ukraine came after months of internal debate
World

India's Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping agree on efforts to de-escalate border tensions

India’s prime minister and China’s leader agreed Thursday to intensify efforts to de-escalate tensions at the disputed border between them and bring home thousands of their troops deployed there, according to an official from India’s foreign ministry. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of a Johannesburg summit where the BRICS bloc of developing economies — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — invited six other countries to join the group, including Saudi Arabia and Iran. , India’s Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra told Indian reporters that Modi, in an

India's Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping agree on efforts to de-escalate border tensions
World

Fed Chair Powell could signal the likelihood of high rates for longer in closely watched speech

When Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell delivers a high-profile speech Friday in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, many analysts think he could make one thing clear: That the Fed plans to keep its benchmark interest rate at a peak level for longer than had been expected. Powell isn’t likely to say whether the Fed will continue raising rates. But he may signal that any rate cuts are unlikely until well into next year. The central bank has already helped drive inflation down from painfully high levels. But Fed officials have said they need to keep rates high

Fed Chair Powell could signal the likelihood of high rates for longer in closely watched speech
World

Civil case over Cardinal Pell abuse allegations allowed to proceed against church in Australia

An Australian court on Friday allowed a civil case to proceed against a Catholic archdiocese involving child sex abuse allegations against late Cardinal George Pell. The Victoria state Court of Appeal in Melbourne refused to hear the church’s challenge to a judge’s ruling that a father, identified in court documents as RWQ, was entitled to sue for damages for the nervous shock he suffered when he learned of allegations his son had been abused. Pell was the third highest-ranking cleric in the Vatican when he was convicted in 2018 of sexually abusing two 13-year-old choirboys in

Civil case over Cardinal Pell abuse allegations allowed to proceed against church in Australia
World

What is Stockholm syndrome? It all started with a bank robbery 50 years ago

It’s a common term these days, deployed to describe the bond that victims of kidnappings or hostage situations sometimes develop with their captors: “Stockholm syndrome.” And it got its name 50 years ago this week, during a failed bank robbery in Sweden’s capital. Stockholm syndrome — dubbed by its founder “Norrmalmstorg syndrome,” after the square where the bank heist took place — has since been used in connection with hostage-takings around the world, including the kidnapping of newspaper heiress Patty Hearst in the 1970s. Here’s a look at Stockholm syndrome and how it got its name. WHAT

What is Stockholm syndrome? It all started with a bank robbery 50 years ago
World

Europe is cracking down on Big Tech. This is what will change when you sign on

Starting Friday, Europeans will see their online life change. People in the 27-nation European Union can alter some of what shows up when they search, scroll and share on the biggest social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Facebook and other tech giants like Google and Amazon. That’s because Big Tech companies, most headquartered in the U.S., are now subject to a pioneering new set of EU digital regulations. The Digital Services Act aims to protect European users when it comes to privacy, transparency and removal of harmful or illegal content. Here are five things that will

Europe is cracking down on Big Tech. This is what will change when you sign on
World

Norway is rebuilding a reindeer fence at the border to stop the animals' costly strolls into Russia

Norway is rebuilding a dilapidated reindeer fence along its border with Russia in the Arctic to stop the animals from wandering into the neighboring country — costly strolls for which Oslo has to compensate Moscow over loss of grassland. Norwegian officials said Thursday that so far this year, 42 reindeer have crossed into Russia seeking better pastures and grazing land. The reindeer barrier along the Norway-Russia border spans 150 kilometers (93 miles) and dates back to 1954. The Norwegian Agriculture Agency said a stretch of about 7 kilometers (4 miles) between the Norwegian towns of Hamborgvatnet

Norway is rebuilding a reindeer fence at the border to stop the animals' costly strolls into Russia
World

Lawyers suing JetBlue say the airline could raise fares on some routes after buying Spirit Airlines

JetBlue Airways could raise fares on some routes by up to 40% if it succeeds in buying Spirit Airlines and eliminating the low-fare carrier as a competitor on those routes, according to lawyers who are suing the airline to block the deal. The estimations were contained in court filings made earlier this week, and which JetBlue says were not properly redacted. JetBlue said Thursday that the filings are based on the opposition lawyers’ interpretation of evidence, and are taking facts out of context. Consumer advocates jumped on the news, saying that the accidental disclosure supports the Justice Department’s antitrust lawsuit

Lawyers suing JetBlue say the airline could raise fares on some routes after buying Spirit Airlines
World

Antetokounmpo wants to see how committed Bucks are to winning a title before deciding on extension

Giannis Antetokounmpo says he wants to see how committed the Milwaukee Bucks are to competing for another championship before deciding whether to sign a contract extension. The two-time MVP will become eligible next month to extend the deal that currently runs through the 2024-25 season, with a player option for 2025-26. Antetokounmpo told The New York Times he wouldn’t sign an extension this year. He said it might make more sense next summer, “but even then, I don’t know.” “I would not be the best version of myself if I don’t know that everybody’s on the same

Antetokounmpo wants to see how committed Bucks are to winning a title before deciding on extension
World

Teenager Asher Hong takes narrow lead after first day of U.S. men's gymnastics championships

Asher Hong overcame an uncharacteristic fall on the floor exercise to take the lead after the opening round of the U.S. men’s gymnastics championships Thursday night. Hong, a 19-year-old sophomore at Stanford, posted a total of 85.615 points, just ahead of 2017 national champion and 2020 Olympian Yul Moldauer at 85.548. Fred Richard, a sophomore at Michigan and the reigning NCAA all-around champion, was third at 85.469. Hong, third at the 2022 national championships, used a massive 15.455 on vault early in the competition to grab the lead. His only real miscue came on floor exercise later in the night,

Teenager Asher Hong takes narrow lead after first day of U.S. men's gymnastics championships
World

Yuka Saso shoots 66 to take 1st-round lead in CPKC Women’s Open

Yuka Saso had a big second nine to shoot a 6-under 66 and take the first-round lead Thursday in the CPKC Women’s Open, while Canadian star Brooke Henderson struggled while playing in glasses for the first time on the LPGA Tour. Even par at the turn at tree-lined — and mosquito-infested — Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club, Saso birdied Nos. 1-4 and 6-7, playing her second nine in 6-under 30. The 22-year-old Japanese player won the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open for her lone LPGA Tour title. “I don’t know what happened the back nine,” Saso

Yuka Saso shoots 66 to take 1st-round lead in CPKC Women’s Open
World

Kenny Pickett and the Steelers' starters cap an impressive preseason in a win over the Falcons

Kenny Pickett led two touchdown drives and showed he and the Pittsburgh starters are ready for real games as the Steelers overpowered the Atlanta Falcons’ backups 24-0 on Thursday night in the final preseason game for both teams. Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren ran for touchdowns to cap the only drives led by Pickett, who completed 4 of 4 passes for 86 yards in his short but productive playing time. The Steelers (3-0) scored touchdowns on each of their five preseason possessions led by Pickett. The second-year QB completed passes of 33 yards to Diontae Johnson and

Kenny Pickett and the Steelers' starters cap an impressive preseason in a win over the Falcons

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