U.S./World category, Page 1204
Trump, world leaders offer condolences after New Zealand mosque attack
BRUSSELS — World leaders expressed condolences and condemnation Friday following the deadly attacks on mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch, while Muslim leaders said the mass shooting was evidence of a rising tide of violent anti-Islam sentiment. In a tweet, U.S. President Donald Trump sent “warmest sympathy and...
Investigator: West Virginia man raped, killed partner’s baby
RIPLEY, W.Va. — The lead investigator in the trial of a man accused of killing his girlfriend’s 10-month-old baby testified that he has no doubt the man raped and murdered the girl. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports Jackson County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Ross Mellinger said Thursday that Benjamin Taylor had blood...
SEC charges Volkswagen, former CEO with defrauding investors
WASHINGTON — U.S. regulators charged Volkswagen and former CEO Martin Winterkorn with defrauding investors during its massive diesel emissions scandal. The charges from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission come two years after the German automaker settled with the United States over criminal and civil charges, as the company tries...
Piece found at Boeing 737 crash site shows jet was set to dive
A screw-like device found in the wreckage of the Boeing 737 Max that crashed last Sunday in Ethiopia indicates the plane was configured to dive, a piece of evidence that helped convince U.S. regulators to ground the model, a person familiar with the investigation said late Thursday night. Federal Aviation...
Sadly, attacks on houses of worship aren’t rare
As Pittsburgh knows all too well, houses of worship — what should be places of reflection and peace — can be the deadly target of an attack by extremists. Here are some of the deadly assaults — from around the world — over the past decade: Oct. 31, 2010: Al-Qaida...
49 dead in mass shootings at New Zealand mosques; 1 man charged
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — At least 49 people were killed in mass shootings at two mosques full of worshippers attending Friday prayers in an attack broadcast in horrifying, live video by an immigrant-hating white nationalist wielding at least two rifles. One man was arrested and charged with murder, and two...
‘Our friends are dying, so we march’
WASHINGTON - On Thursday morning, a curious scene emerged on Pennsylvania Avenue: Between the throngs of tourists snapping photos of the Washington Monument and commuters rushing to work, high school students pushed their way toward the White House. At 9 a.m., hundreds of teenagers from the District and suburban Maryland...
Georgia Senate committee hears testimony on abortion bill
ATLANTA — A Georgia Senate committee listened to emotional testimony Thursday over a proposal that would ban most abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected. The committee did not take a vote, and it was unclear when they might. Women in Georgia can currently seek an abortion during the...
Why the Mega Millions winner waited months to claim her lottery jackpot
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina woman who won the largest jackpot payout to a single winner in U.S. history has chosen to remain anonymous. But Thursday, she provided more details about why she waited so long to claim the winnings in a news release from her attorney, which was...
Senate rejects Trump border emergency as Republicans defect
WASHINGTON — The Republican-run Senate rejected President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency at the southwest border on Thursday, setting up a veto fight and dealing him a conspicuous rebuke as he tested how boldly he could ignore Congress in pursuit of his highest-profile goal. The Senate voted 59-41...
Why France is analyzing Ethiopian jet’s black boxes
PARIS — France doesn’t see an unusually large number of aviation disasters, but its plane crash investigators are world famous. The French air accident investigation authority, known by its French acronym BEA, is now handling the analysis of the flight recorders from the Ethiopian Airlines jet that crashed after takeoff...
1 killed when 2 small planes collide on Los Angeles-area runway
COMPTON, Calif. — A small plane ran into another aircraft on a Los Angeles-area runaway in a fiery crash that killed one person and injured another. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor says a Cessna with two people aboard landed Wednesday night at Compton/Woodley Airport. A North American T-28 then...
Squirrels are damaging some maple syrup operations
DANVILLE, Vt. — Maple syrup producers are contending with a late start to the season in the Northeast and an abundant squirrel population with the critters chomping on plastic sap tubing and spouts. Damage from wildlife — deer, bear woodpeckers, and squirrels — is not unusual for maple operations, but...
Ohio judge grants transgender teen’s name change
LEBANON, Ohio — An Ohio judge has reversed his earlier denial of a transgender 15-year-old’s legal name change and is allowing that change. The Cincinnati Enquirer reports Warren County Probate Judge Joseph Kirby ruled Tuesday that the name change “is in the best interest of the child.” Kirby previously said...
U.K. lawmakers reject having new Brexit referendum
LONDON — Britain’s Parliament has voted against holding a new Brexit referendum, at least for now. Lawmakers defeated by a decisive 334-85 vote a motion that called for another public vote on whether to stay in the European Union or leave. Campaigners for a new referendum are divided over whether...
Nevada grand jury indicts immigrant in 4 fatal shootings
RENO, Nev. — A grand jury has indicted a Salvadoran immigrant who is in the U.S. illegally on murder charges in the killing of an elderly couple and two women in Nevada. A Washoe County grand jury handed up the indictment in Reno late Wednesday. Wilber Ernesto Martinez-Guzman, 20, is...
$878 million South Carolina lottery winner sharing with charities
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina woman who won $878 million in the biggest jackpot payout to one winner in U.S. history wants to share her windfall with the city and state where her good fortune happened. The winner still wishes to remain anonymous because she wants to “live a...
Powerball jackpot soars to $495 million
The latest Powerball jackpot grew after no one matched all the winning numbers on Wednesday night. The jackpot for Saturday’s drawing climbed to an estimated $495 million – the eighth-largest jackpot in Powerball game history, according to the lottery. It ranks as the 14th-largest jackpot in U.S. history. The estimated...
Foreign adoptions to U.S. fall by 14 percent, continuing trend
NEW YORK — The number of foreign children adopted by U.S. parents plunged nearly 14 percent last year, extending a decline that’s now continued for 14 years, according to State Department figures released Thursday. Sharp drops in adoptions from China and Ethiopia more than offset notable increases from India and...
Grand Canyon National Park’s 1st female leader is resigning
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — The first female superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park is resigning after less than three years at the helm of one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations. Christine Lehnertz is the park’s first openly gay, female superintendent and the second consecutive Grand Canyon chief to leave...
IS militants, families surrender after offensive in Syria
BAGHOUZ, Syria — U.S.-backed Syrian fighters said Thursday a “large number” of Islamic State militants and their families are surrendering a day after intense fighting in the last speck of land the extremists still hold in eastern Syria. At the edge of Baghouz, the village where the militants are still...
Boeing’s 737 Max problems jeopardize $600 billion in orders
Boeing’s $600 billion-plus order book for its 737 Max began shaking after several big customers threatened to reconsider their purchases in the wake of the Ethiopian Airlines crash, the second deadly accident involving the plane since October. VietJet Aviation JSC, which doubled its order to about $25 billion only last...
Man runs past firefighters to rescue dog from burning homeVideo
A man disregarded the shouts from firefighters and rushed into his burning home to rescue the family dog. Flames were shooting from the Pala, Calif., house as firefighters began spraying water from a safe distance. But resident José Guzman knew his dog was hiding inside and ran past the firefighters....
Court rules gun maker Remington can be sued over Newtown shooting
HARTFORD, Conn. — A divided Connecticut Supreme Court has ruled gun maker Remington can be sued over how it marketed the Bushmaster rifle used to kill 20 children and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012. Justices issued a 4-3 ruling that reinstated a wrongful death lawsuit and...
What a spike in toilet paper sales says about Brexit
While British lawmakers fumble through Brexit negotiations, sales of two items might hint at how the public is bracing for impact: toilet paper and painkillers. On a recent earnings call, David Potts, chief executive of British supermarket Morrisons, said the chain had seen a “small amount” of stockpiling, and that...
