Today: September 25, 2024
Today: September 25, 2024

World

World

For some remote Canadian wildfires, best and fastest option is sending in the smokejumpers

When James Bergen steps from a plane and plummets toward fire below, he’s not scared. Instead, he says, he gets a rush from not knowing exactly what he’ll face when he parachutes in as one of the smokejumpers confronting the wildfires that have scorched Canada this spring and summer. One call may mean a drop and a hike to a meadow to put out a single burning tree. “Next day you go to a fire and it’s a giant roaring beast threatening a community,” said Bergen, a solidly built 46-year-old with graying stubble.

July 14, 2023
For some remote Canadian wildfires, best and fastest option is sending in the smokejumpers
World

Disney is asking a judge to toss a lawsuit from DeSantis appointees

Disney is asking a Florida judge on Friday to toss out a lawsuit against the company’s efforts to neutralize a takeover of Disney World’s governing district by Gov. Ron DeSantis and his appointees. The hearing scheduled for an hour in state court in Orlando involves one of two cases between the Disney and DeSantis or his governing district appointees stemming from the takeover, which was retaliation for the company’s public opposition to the so-called Don’t Say Gay legislation championed by DeSantis and Republican state lawmakers. Disney and DeSantis have been engaged in a yearlong feud that

July 14, 2023
Disney is asking a judge to toss a lawsuit from DeSantis appointees
World

Rocket being developed by Japan's space agency explodes during testing but no injuries reported

A rocket being developed by the Japanese space agency exploded during testing on Friday, but there were no reports of injuries, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said. The cause of the accident at the facility in Akita Prefecture, northeastern Japan, was still being investigated, the agency, JAXA, said. It was unclear and when testing for the Epsilon S rocket could resume. Japanese TV news footage from the site shows the test starting normally, with white smoke shooting out at the side. About a minute later, flames and gray smoke burst upward in an explosion, and the roof

July 14, 2023
Rocket being developed by Japan's space agency explodes during testing but no injuries reported
World

Suspect taken into custody in Long Island serial killings, AP source says

A suspect has been taken into custody on New York’s Long Island in connection with a long-unsolved string of killings, known as the Gilgo Beach murders, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press on Friday. The case has drawn immense public attention since human remains were found along a New York beach highway more than a decade ago. The mystery attracted national headlines for many years and the unsolved killings were the subject of the 2020 Netflix film “Lost Girls.” The suspect was taken into custody in Massapequa late Thursday and investigators were at a

July 14, 2023
Suspect taken into custody in Long Island serial killings, AP source says
World

Acropolis' midday closure leaves many tourists in the lurch as a heat wave lashes southern Europe

Disgruntled tourists bemoaned the temporary closing of the Acropolis in Athens on Friday as Greek authorities proactively shut the world monument’s gates between midday and early evening amid a heat wave that continues to grip southern Europe. Red Cross staff handed out bottled water to tourists wilting in long lines hoping to beat the closure and scale the steps up to the gleaming Parthenon temple as temperatures were expected to peak above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in the Greek capital. Some visitors were frustrated at being left in the lurch because they were unaware of

July 14, 2023
Acropolis' midday closure leaves many tourists in the lurch as a heat wave lashes southern Europe
World

World cycling’s governing body bans female transgender athletes from women’s events

Female transgender athletes who transitioned after male puberty will no longer be able to compete in women’s races, world cycling governing body the UCI said Friday. The International Cycling Union joined the governing bodies in track and field and swimming as top-tier Olympic sports addressing in this way the issue of transgender athletes and fairness in women’s events. The UCI’s decision came after American rider Austin Killips became the first openly transgender woman to win an official cycling event in May. “From now on, female transgender athletes who have transitioned after (male) puberty will be prohibited

July 14, 2023
World cycling’s governing body bans female transgender athletes from women’s events
World

Reformist Thai party, thwarted from forming new government, seeks law change to limit Senate's power

The political party that captured first place in Thailand’s general election two months ago — only to see the country’s unelected Senators block its expectations of taking power — announced Friday it’s fighting back, seeking to change the law to take away the Senate’s de facto veto over who can form a new government. After the surprise May 14 victory of the progressive Move Forward Party, it assembled an eight-party coalition that captured a combined 312 seats — a clear majority in the House of Representatives. On that basis, it has the right to try to form

July 14, 2023
Reformist Thai party, thwarted from forming new government, seeks law change to limit Senate's power
World

Lawsuit against fast fashion retailer Shein claims RICO violations

China’s fast fashion retailer Shein is facing a lawsuit that claims the clothing maker’s copyright infringement is so aggressive, it amounts to racketeering. The filing this week claims that Shein is in violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, better known as RICO, a law originally crafted to prosecute organized crime. “Shein has grown rich by committing individual infringements over and over again, as part of a long and continuous pattern of racketeering, which shows no sign of abating,” the filing says. In an organized effort to create as many as 6,000 new items per day, Shein uses

July 14, 2023
Lawsuit against fast fashion retailer Shein claims RICO violations
World

Harrington not ruling out chance to play in another Ryder Cup

Padraig Harrington is not ruling out the idea of playing in another Ryder Cup, even at age 51, depending on how he fares in his two weeks against the world’s best players. That hope was emboldened Friday in the Scottish Open after a 4-under 66 at The Renaissance Club, leaving him two shots off the early pace set by Tyrrell Hatton and Tom Kim. Harrington said European captain Luke Donald called him after he won two weeks ago on the PGA Tour Champions to say he was watching. But the Irishman doesn’t believe his performance on

July 14, 2023
Harrington not ruling out chance to play in another Ryder Cup
World

Moldova's prime minister accepts resignation of interior minister after fatal airport shooting

Moldova’s prime minister said Friday that he accepted the resignations of three ministers, including the interior minister, which comes two weeks after a shooting at the country’s main international airport that left two security officers dead. Prime Minister Dorin Recean said in a media briefing that Interior Minister Ana Revenco, the infrastructure and regional development minister, Lilia Dabija, and Science and Education Minister Anatolie Topal all handed in their resignations on Thursday, but he didn’t say why they quit. The opposition, however, had demanded that Revenco resign in the wake of a deadly shooting at Chisinau

July 14, 2023
Moldova's prime minister accepts resignation of interior minister after fatal airport shooting
World

Tennessee fined more than $8 million for over 200 infractions in football program

The NCAA fined Tennessee more than $8 million on Friday and issued a scathing report outlining more than 200 infractions during the three-year tenure of former coach Jeremy Pruitt. The Volunteers escaped a postseason ban. The sprawling report said Tennessee committed 18 Level I violations, the most severe, and said most involved recruiting infractions and direct payments to athletes and their families – benefits that totaled approximately $60,000. The NCAA praised Tennessee for its cooperation and the Vols escaped the postseason ban penalty. But the infractions panel noted that decision was a difficult one given the

July 14, 2023
Tennessee fined more than $8 million for over 200 infractions in football program
World

Kenyan religious leaders urge the president to repeal a new tax law as protests surge

Christian and Muslim leaders in Kenya are urging President William Ruto to repeal a finance bill whose new taxes have sparked protests and police killings of civilians, warning that Kenyans face a level of hopelessness that “can easily inspire insurrection.” Friday’s statement by national religious organizations came as the main political opposition group announced the next protest would take place next Wednesday, and as Ruto declared it would not be allowed. Human rights watchdogs have asserted that police killed as many as 10 people in the latest protests this week, while a police official told The

July 14, 2023
Kenyan religious leaders urge the president to repeal a new tax law as protests surge
World

Energy sector left behind as Wall Street exits bear market

Falling crude oil prices and lingering worries about the global economy have been sapping power from energy stocks throughout 2023. The sector, which includes oil and oilfield exploration companies, is coming off of two years or rising oil prices and inflation. Now the S&P 500 has broken free from the bear market, but the energy sector is among the biggest laggards with a 7.4% dip. “Given that energy is one of the most cyclical sectors in the market, ongoing fears of a slowdown both here and abroad are likely weighing on the price of oil and

July 14, 2023
Energy sector left behind as Wall Street exits bear market
World

Alex Galchenyuk of Coyotes repeatedly used racial slur, intimidated officers after stop, report says

Alex Galchenyuk repeatedly used racial slurs toward a police officer in training and threatened to have two officers killed during a traffic stop last weekend, police said in a report, actions that led the Arizona Coyotes to terminate the player’s contract on Friday. A Scottsdale Police Department report said Galchenyuk was erratic and aggressive toward officers after apparently crashing a car into a sign. Galchenyuk cited connections in Moscow while saying “I’m gunna chop you, your wife, your daughter” and “One phone call and you’re all dead, your whole family, your blood line is dead,” police

July 14, 2023
Alex Galchenyuk of Coyotes repeatedly used racial slur, intimidated officers after stop, report says
World

UPS to train nonunion employees as talks with union for 340,000 workers stalls and deadline nears

A little more than a week after contract talks between UPS and the union representing 340,000 of its workers broke down, UPS said it will begin training nonunion employees in the U.S. to step in should there be a strike, which the union has vowed to do if no agreement is reached by the end of this month. UPS said Friday that the training is a temporary plan that has no impact on current operations. “While we have made great progress and are close to reaching an agreement, we have a responsibility as an essential service provider to take steps

July 14, 2023
UPS to train nonunion employees as talks with union for 340,000 workers stalls and deadline nears
World

November trial set for father of suspect in deadly July 4 parade shooting in suburban Chicago

An Illinois judge on Friday set a Nov. 6 trial date for a father charged with helping his son obtain a gun license three years before the son allegedly shot dead seven people at a Fourth of July parade in suburban Chicago last year. The father, Robert Crimo Jr., told Judge George Strickland at a hearing in Waukegan — north of Highland Park, where the shooting occurred — that he was waiving his right to a jury trial. That means Strickland will hear evidence and issue verdicts at the end of the bench trial. Earlier this year,

July 14, 2023
November trial set for father of suspect in deadly July 4 parade shooting in suburban Chicago
World

NTSB looking at risk parked semis posed to Greyhound bus in fatal Illinois accident

Big rig driver David Cherno was hauling Jimmy Dean sausages on Interstate 70 when he had to stop for the night or risk violating federal regulations limiting driving time for truckers. An Illinois rest area was full, so Cherno parked on the wide shoulder of the exit ramp leading to it — a common practice for truck drivers. Just before 2 a.m. Wednesday, Cherno was awakened to a frightening jolt that sent him airborne into his dash. He got out and saw the horror: A burning Greyhound bus jammed into his trailer, passengers pushing and kicking

July 14, 2023
NTSB looking at risk parked semis posed to Greyhound bus in fatal Illinois accident
World

5 leaving cemetery after funeral wounded by gunfire from another vehicle, Maryland police say

Five people leaving a cemetery after a funeral were shot and wounded Friday by someone firing into their car from a second vehicle in a Maryland suburb of the nation’s capital, police said. No arrests were immediately made, and the five victims were all taken to area hospitals as authorities pleaded for the help of passing motorists in identifying suspects from the brazen daylight attack in busy traffic. The shooting site is near a bridge that crosses the Anacostia River in Bladensburg, about a mile (.6 kilometer) east of the Maryland border with Washington, D.C. Bladensburg

July 14, 2023
5 leaving cemetery after funeral wounded by gunfire from another vehicle, Maryland police say
World

Jesse Jackson to step down as head of civil rights organization Rainbow PUSH

The Rev. Jesse Jackson plans to step down from leading the Chicago civil rights organization Rainbow PUSH Coalition he founded in 1971, his son’s congressional office said Friday. A spokesperson for U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson confirmed the long-time civil rights leader would be retiring from the organization. The elder Jackson, a civil rights leader and two-time presidential candidate, plans to announce his decision on Sunday during the organization’s annual convention, Rep. Jackson told the Chicago Sun-Times. Jonathan Jackson, an Illinois Democrat, said his father “has forever been on the scene of justice and has never stopped fighting

July 14, 2023
Jesse Jackson to step down as head of civil rights organization Rainbow PUSH
World

More are participating in the lottery as the Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots soar

Brenda Sepulveda stopped Friday at a suburban Philadelphia convenience store to buy lottery tickets as the Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots soared to some of their heftiest in the history of the games. “I think that people are drawn to this kind of lottery because we all hope and pray that we might be the lucky one, that maybe we weren’t born into wealth, but you never know,” she said, as she dreamed of paying off student loans, and her and her mother’s cars. The Mega Millions jackpot for Friday night’s drawing has grown to $560

July 14, 2023
More are participating in the lottery as the Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots soar
World

McIlroy can't buy a putt and still posts 66 to lead Scottish Open

Rory McIlroy felt he had no choice but to be pleased with a 4-under 66 that gave him a one-shot lead in the Scottish Open on Friday. He also couldn’t help but wonder how much lower his score could have been. McIlroy missed nine putts from 10 feet or closer — eight of those birdie chances — and then holed a 5-foot par on the 18th to take a one-shot lead over Tyrrell Hatton, Tom Kim and Byeong Hun An at The Renaissance Club. “I thought I hit the ball really well tee to green,” McIlroy

July 14, 2023
McIlroy can't buy a putt and still posts 66 to lead Scottish Open
World

Brittney Griner surprised herself with making the WNBA All-Star Game

Brittney Griner didn’t know what to expect when the WNBA season began, how she would respond after the trauma she experienced of being incarcerated in Russia that also forced her off the court for many months. Griner surprised herself, playing well enough to become a starter in Saturday’s All-Star Game. “I just wanted to get out there and try my best not to get hurt, give it the best I’ve got,” Griner said. “I was a little shocked, actually, how it was once I got on the court, so I’m happy with it. “It was definitely

July 14, 2023
Brittney Griner surprised herself with making the WNBA All-Star Game
World

Las Vegas police officer found guilty in string of brazen casino heists could get life sentence

A federal jury convicted a Las Vegas police officer Friday on all counts of stealing nearly $165,000 during a trio of casino heists, including one where he was armed with a department-issued weapon that was loaded. Caleb Rogers, 35, faces life in prison upon sentencing because he brandished a revolver during the third casino heist he carried out in February 2022. U.S. District Judge Andrew Gordon set his sentencing for October. The jury reached a verdict after just over three hours of deliberation. Jurors used common sense to decide the case, Lloyd Dickerson, one of the

July 14, 2023
Las Vegas police officer found guilty in string of brazen casino heists could get life sentence
World

A wave of political turbulence is rolling through Guatemala and other Central American countries

Central America is experiencing a wave of unrest that is remarkable even for a region whose history is riddled with turbulence. The most recent example is political upheaval in Guatemala as the country heads for a runoff presidential election in August. A look at various events roiling Central American countries: Guatemala Guatemala is locked in the most troubled presidential election in the country’s recent history. The first round of elections in June ended with a surprise twist when little known progressive candidate Bernardo Arévalo of the Seed Movement party pulled ahead as a front-runner. Now headed

July 14, 2023
A wave of political turbulence is rolling through Guatemala and other Central American countries
World

GOP attorneys general shift the battle over affirmative action to the workplace

Thirteen Republican state attorneys general are cautioning CEOs of the 100 biggest U.S. companies on the legal consequences for using race as a factor in hiring and employment practices, demonstrating how the Supreme Court’s recent ruling dismantling affirmative action in higher education may trickle into the workplace. The state attorneys general sent a letter to the CEOs on Thursday arguing that the controversial June ruling declaring that race cannot be a factor in college admissions — consequently striking down decades-old practices aimed at achieving diverse student bodies — could also apply to private entities, like employers.

July 14, 2023
GOP attorneys general shift the battle over affirmative action to the workplace

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