Today: September 23, 2024
Today: September 23, 2024

World

World

Oil producers say tech will soon handle climate-wrecking fumes. US envoy Kerry says be skeptical

U.S. climate envoy John Kerry on Tuesday urged the world to be “very skeptical” about claims from oil and gas producers that emerging technology soon will allow people to adequately capture the climate-wrecking fumes emitted by their cars, planes and businesses. It’s “one big question mark,” Kerry told The Associated Press of the future viability of carbon-capture technology, a debate at the heart of global negotiations on cutting emissions to stave off the most disastrous scenarios of global warming. The International Energy Agency and increasing numbers of scientists, governments and global leaders and advocates are saying

June 14, 2023
Oil producers say tech will soon handle climate-wrecking fumes. US envoy Kerry says be skeptical
World

Bill to help finance a Las Vegas ballpark for Oakland A's passes Nevada Senate, heads to Assembly

A stadium financing bill aimed at drawing the Oakland Athletics to Las Vegas cleared a major hurdle Tuesday after being approved by the Nevada Senate, but not before lawmakers amended the measure to strengthen its benefits for the community. The 13-8 Senate vote marks another step as the bill moves through the Democratic-controlled Legislature while reviving the national debate over public funding for private sports clubs. The bill, which has the support of Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, must now be considered by the state Assembly. A’s representatives and some Nevada tourism officials have said the

June 14, 2023
Bill to help finance a Las Vegas ballpark for Oakland A's passes Nevada Senate, heads to Assembly
World

Los Angeles city councilman charged with embezzlement and perjury

Prosecutors charged a Los Angeles city councilman with embezzlement and perjury Tuesday in the latest criminal case to upend the scandal-plagued governing board of the nation’s second-largest city. Curren Price, Jr. faces five counts of grand theft by embezzlement, three counts of perjury and two counts of conflict of interest, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. The office did not release the criminal complaint or any details about the charges. The council and city government have been shaken by a series of recent scandals. In March, former Democratic City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas —

June 14, 2023
Los Angeles city councilman charged with embezzlement and perjury
World

Starbucks denies claims that it's banning Pride displays but union organizers are skeptical

Starbucks is denying union organizers’ claims that it is banning Pride displays in its U.S. stores in the wake of Target and other brands experiencing a backlash. But Starbucks Workers United, the union organizing U.S. Starbucks stores, says store managers around the country have been curtailing or removing displays during a monthlong celebration of LGBTQ+ people. In some cases, the union said, managers told workers that Pride displays were a safety concern, citing recent incidents at Target where some angry customers tipped over merchandise and confronted workers. “There has been no change to any policy on this matter and we

June 14, 2023
Starbucks denies claims that it's banning Pride displays but union organizers are skeptical
World

Senate just barely confirms Bernstein as Biden's economic adviser

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday narrowly confirmed Jared Bernstein to be the chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers. A longtime aide to President Joe Biden and an economist focused on workers, Bernstein was confirmed by a vote of 50-49. Republican lawmakers were critical of his claims early in the administration that the high inflation coming out of the pandemic was temporary. Rising costs for families and businesses have been a challenge for Biden, though the Labor Department said Tuesday that the pace of inflation fell in May to 4%, the lowest 12-month figure for

June 14, 2023
Senate just barely confirms Bernstein as Biden's economic adviser
World

Fed keeps rates unchanged for first time in 15 months but signals 2 more potential hikes this year

The Federal Reserve kept its key interest rate unchanged Wednesday after having raised it 10 straight times to combat high inflation. But in a surprise move, the Fed signaled that it may raise rates twice more this year, beginning as soon as next month. The Fed’s move to leave its benchmark rate at about 5.1%, its highest level in 16 years, suggests that it believes the much higher borrowing rates it’s engineered have made some progress in taming inflation. But top Fed officials want to take time to more fully assess how their rate hikes have affected

June 14, 2023
Fed keeps rates unchanged for first time in 15 months but signals 2 more potential hikes this year
World

Costa Rica-US immigration agreement aims to manage region's flows

Costa Rica and the U.S. government have agreed to open potential legal pathways to the United States for some of the Nicaraguan and Venezuelan migrants among the 240,000 asylum seekers already awaiting asylum in the Central American country. The agreement – announced by Costa Rica Tuesday and the United States late Monday – appears aimed at reducing the pressure on Costa Rica’s overwhelmed asylum system and heading off asylum seekers who could give up on the slow Costa Rica process and instead set off for the U.S. border. In recent years, Costa Rica with

June 14, 2023
Costa Rica-US immigration agreement aims to manage region's flows
World

Rick Pitino, in NY state of mind at St John's, throws out first pitch before Subway Series

Leading off at the Subway Series, new St. John’s coach Rick Pitino. Just before the New York Yankees faced the Mets on Tuesday night at Citi Field, the Hall of Fame basketball coach threw out a ceremonial first pitch to Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell — who played for Pitino at Louisville. Mitchell’s father, also named Donovan, works for the Mets as Senior Director, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. “I’m friends with Donovan Mitchell Sr. as well, and when I found out that young Donovan was catching me, I thought it was awesome. Because I love him,

June 14, 2023
Rick Pitino, in NY state of mind at St John's, throws out first pitch before Subway Series
World

A's fans come out en masse for reverse boycott and tell owner John Fisher to sell

Furious Oakland Athletics fans came en masse with a single message to owner John Fisher: “SELL.” Buddies Brian Guido and Scott Finney of Sacramento each took off early from work Tuesday because there was no way they were going to miss the festivities a couple of hours away in Oakland. “I’ve been to only one game this year. I saw this game and I knew I had to come because I knew it was going to be very monumental and would send a message to the owner that this is what the fan base wants,” Finney

June 14, 2023
A's fans come out en masse for reverse boycott and tell owner John Fisher to sell
World

Microsoft's planned Activision Blizzard merger temporarily blocked by US judge

Microsoft’s planned $69 billion purchase of video game company Activision Blizzard was blocked by a federal judge Tuesday, giving more time for an antitrust review of the deal. U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley in San Francisco ruled in support of a temporary restraining order sought by the Federal Trade Commission that will stop Microsoft from closing the deal. In a court filing Monday, the commission had sought both a restraining order and injunction to stop Microsoft’s acquisition of the California company behind hit games such as Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Candy Crush

June 14, 2023
Microsoft's planned Activision Blizzard merger temporarily blocked by US judge
World

Mets reliever Drew Smith ejected from Subway Series game vs Yankees for illegal substance

Drew Smith became the second New York Mets pitcher to get ejected this season for using an illegal foreign substance when he was tossed from the Subway Series opener Tuesday night against the Yankees at Citi Field. The reliever never even threw a pitch. He was checked by umpires as he entered in the top of the seventh inning with the Mets trailing 7-6 and never made it to the mound. Smith was stopped for a routine check as he reached the infield. Within moments, several umpires and teammates were huddled around the right-hander, and Mets

June 14, 2023
Mets reliever Drew Smith ejected from Subway Series game vs Yankees for illegal substance
World

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan recovering from medical issue, cedes day-to-day control

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan is recovering from a medical situation, the tour announced Tuesday night. The tour did not disclose the nature of the situation or how serious it was, only that two of his executives would lead the day-to-day operations of the PGA Tour during the most intense time of its 54-year history. The announcement comes a week after Monahan stunned the golf world by announcing the PGA Tour had ended its battle with Saudi Arabia’s wealth fund and its LIV Golf League by agreeing to a business partnership. Monahan, 53, spent nearly two

June 14, 2023
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan recovering from medical issue, cedes day-to-day control
World

Iran president rails against US sanctions during visit to Nicaragua

In his first visit to Latin America, Iran’s hardline president met Tuesday with his Nicaraguan counterpart and railed against a theme both leaders have in common: U.S. sanctions. President Ebrahim Raisi’s visit to Nicaragua is his second stop, after Venezuela. He is also scheduled to visit Cuba, Iran’s other ally in the region. Raisi spoke at a joint appearance in Managua with Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. “The United States wanted to paralyze our people with threats and sanctions, but it hasn’t been able to do it,” Raisi said. Many top figures in Ortega’s government also face

June 14, 2023
Iran president rails against US sanctions during visit to Nicaragua
World

Golden Knights blast Panthers 9-3 in Game 5 to capture first Stanley Cup title

The Golden Knights delivered their city a true Vegas-style party from dazzling passes to Mark Stone’s hat trick to all-out goal celebrations, capturing the young organization’s first Stanley Cup with a 9-3 romp over the beaten up and exhausted Florida Panthers on Tuesday night. Coach Bruce Cassidy, in a nod to the Knights’ brief history, started five of the original Vegas players known as the Misfits and put the sixth on the second shift. Cassidy sounded confident the day before the game that his team would play well, and it certainly did, blowing open a one-goal

June 14, 2023
Golden Knights blast Panthers 9-3 in Game 5 to capture first Stanley Cup title
World

Jonathan Marchessault earns playoff MVP honors for leading Vegas Golden Knights to Stanley Cup

Jonathan Marchessault won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP after leading the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup, a fitting honor for one of the franchise’s original players who has been a key contributor since the first puck dropped in Las Vegas. Marchessault led the Golden Knights with 13 goals and ranked second with 25 points during their playoff run, this one ending on a winning note unlike five years ago when they lost in the final. He is one of six original Knights players left from the start of the expansion franchise in 2017 and has since developed

June 14, 2023
Jonathan Marchessault earns playoff MVP honors for leading Vegas Golden Knights to Stanley Cup
World

110 million people forcibly displaced as Sudan, Ukraine wars add to world refugee crisis, UN says

Some 110 million people have had to flee their homes because of conflict, persecution, or human rights violations, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees says. The war in Sudan, which has displaced nearly 2 million people since April, is but the latest in a long list of crises that has led to the record-breaking figure. “It’s quite an indictment on the state of our world,” Filippo Grandi, who leads the U.N. refugee agency, told reporters in Geneva ahead of the publication Wednesday of UNHCR’s Global Trends Report for 2022. Last year alone, an additional 19 million people were forcibly displaced

June 14, 2023
110 million people forcibly displaced as Sudan, Ukraine wars add to world refugee crisis, UN says
World

Jack Eichel wins Stanley Cup with Vegas less than 2 years since neck surgery

Jack Eichel is a Stanley Cup champion with the Vegas Golden Knights less than two years removed from neck surgery that no NHL player had previously come back from. It’s a triumphant moment for a player whose career was derailed by the injury and became a trailblazer for the operation he credits for fixing it. The 26-year-old Eichel was the team’s best all-around player during the playoffs, the first-line center Vegas executives knew they needed to win the franchise’s first championship. He finished with a postseason-best 26 points in 22 games and drove a lot of the play offensively and

June 14, 2023
Jack Eichel wins Stanley Cup with Vegas less than 2 years since neck surgery
World

Scottie Scheffler arrives at US Open looking to solve putting problems

Scottie Scheffler took one long, smooth stroke, then looked down the line and watched the ball roll toward the hole on the practice green. He was using his wedge. That was a drill. The state of his game on the greens — more of an emergency. The player listed No. 1 in the latest world golf ranking is sitting at No. 148 in the PGA Tour in putting this year. With the U.S. Open starting Thursday, Scheffler finds himself experimenting with different putters and also trying to give himself a little more credit for putts he

June 14, 2023
Scottie Scheffler arrives at US Open looking to solve putting problems
World

Toyota shareholders reject proposal demanding better performance on climate change

Toyota executives fielded challenges and reaped praise from investors at an annual general meeting Wednesday where shareholders ultimately rejected demands the automaker do better on fighting climate change. The investor proposal was initiated by AkademikerPension, a $20 billion Danish investment fund. It accused Toyota Motor Corp. of lobbying to weaken efforts by governments around the world to phase out the internal combustion engine. Shareholders applauded in rejecting the proposal, as expected, at the meeting in Toyota city, central Japan. The majority of Toyota shares are held by the company and its group companies, retired employees and

June 14, 2023
Toyota shareholders reject proposal demanding better performance on climate change
World

An Amazon rainforest rite of passage in threatened territory

The Indigenous adolescents danced in a circle under the thatched-roof hut from nearly dawn to dusk while parents looked on from the perimeter. Some of the adults smoked tobacco mixed with the wood from a local tree in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest. The seemingly endless loop of the procession, taking place over six long days this month, was leaving some Tembé Tenehara youngsters with swollen and bandaged feet. They were receiving little to eat and spending each night sleeping in hammocks slung in the hut. But in the Alto Rio Guama territory, it

June 14, 2023
An Amazon rainforest rite of passage in threatened territory
World

Stock market today: Asian stocks mixed after US inflation cools

Asian stock markets were mixed Wednesday after a cooler reading on U.S. inflation buoyed hopes the Federal Reserve will postpone a possible interest rate hike. Shanghai, Tokyo and Sydney rose while Hong Kong and Seoul declined. Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index gained 0.7% to a 14-month high after government data Tuesday showed U.S. consumer inflation eased to 4% over a year earlier in May from the previous month’s 4.9%. It was less than half last June’s peak of 9.1% but still double the Fed’s 2% target. That reinforced hopes the Fed will avoid announcing another rate

June 14, 2023
Stock market today: Asian stocks mixed after US inflation cools
World

As conditions for Syrians worsen, aid organizations struggle to catch the world's attention again

Six months after she got the call informing her that her U.N. assistance would be cut, Najwa al-Jassem is struggling to feed her four children and pay rent for their tent in a Syrian refugee camp in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley. She once received food rations and cash that covered most of their modest monthly expenses. The family now only gets the equivalent of $20 a month, which just covers the rent for their cramped tent. Her husband gets only sporadic day labor and “my kids are too young for me to send them to

June 14, 2023
As conditions for Syrians worsen, aid organizations struggle to catch the world's attention again
World

China's foreign minister airs concerns in phone call with Blinken ahead of planned visit

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang shared concerns on a phone call Wednesday ahead of a planned visit by the U.S. official to China meant to shore up relations. “Spoke tonight with PRC State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang by phone,” Blinken’s official Twitter account read. “Discussed ongoing efforts to maintain open channels of communication as well as bilateral and global issues.” The Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement on one of its social media pages that Qin urged the United States to respect “China’s core concerns”

June 14, 2023
China's foreign minister airs concerns in phone call with Blinken ahead of planned visit
World

Original Golden Knights key part of Vegas' Stanley Cup run

Bruce Cassidy has been the Golden Knights’ coach for only a year, but he knows full well the history of the Misfits. So in the game that would win the Stanley Cup for Vegas, Cassidy started five of the original Knights and sent the sixth one in for the second shift Tuesday night in a 9-3 victory over the Florida Panthers. “They’re the original guys, right?” Cassidy said. “They’re the foundation of this hockey team. The first building blocks started with them. They’ve been here since the beginning. They lost in a final like I did.

June 14, 2023
Original Golden Knights key part of Vegas' Stanley Cup run
World

Russian cruise missile strike on southern Ukrainian city of Odesa kills 3, injures 13

Russian forces fired cruise missiles at the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa overnight, killing at least three people and injuring more than a dozen others in a strike that damaged homes, a warehouse, shops and cafes downtown, the regional state administration said. The attack launched from the Black Sea involved four sea-launched Kalibr cruise missiles, three of which were intercepted by air defenses, the regional administration said on Facebook. Three employees of a food warehouse were killed and seven others injured, and searchers were looking for possible survivors under the rubble, it said. Another six people

June 14, 2023
Russian cruise missile strike on southern Ukrainian city of Odesa kills 3, injures 13

Follow