U.S./World category, Page 265
Sierra Leone outlaws child marriage, and even witnesses to such weddings will be punished
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — A bill that bans child marriage in Sierra Leone has been signed into law, President Julius Maada Bio said late Tuesday, in an effort to protect girls in the West African nation where about a third are married before adulthood. The law is being celebrated widely....
Mosaics by an artist accused of abusing women will stay on the Lourdes shrine, for now
ROME — A French bishop has put off any decision on whether to remove mosaics by an ex-Jesuit artist accused of abusing women, saying that they’ll stay for now on the Lourdes shrine but that eventually they should be removed. The mosaics will no longer be lit up each night...
Taliban and U.S. envoys have discussed the release of 2 American prisoners at third Doha meeting
ISLAMABAD — The Taliban’s delegation to the third United Nations-led Doha meeting on increasing engagement with Afghanistan met with U.S. envoys on the sidelines and discussed the two Americans imprisoned in the central Asian country. Zabihullah Mujahid told reporters in Kabul Wednesday that the meeting aimed at “finding a solution.”...
1 man hurt when home in rural Wisconsin explodes, authorities say
LAFAYETTE, Wis. — A house in southeastern Wisconsin exploded Tuesday, injuring one man who was found trapped in rubble in the basement, authorities said. Calls to 911 reported the explosion about 2:15 p.m. in Lafayette, the Walworth County Sheriff’s Office said. Deputies arrived about 15 minutes later and saw that...
Somerset County soldier 1 of 2 Civil War heroes set to posthumously receive medal-of-honor at White HouseVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will award the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry on Wednesday to two Union soldiers who stole a locomotive deep in Confederate territory during the Civil War and drove it north for 87 miles as they destroyed railroad tracks and telegraph lines. U.S. Army Pvts....
Arkansas grocery store reopens in wake of mass shooting that left 4 dead
FORDYCE, Ark. — The sounds that filled the Mad Butcher grocery store on Tuesday — the beeping barcode scanners, the rattle of shopping carts and cash register drawers opening — were familiar ones for customers and employees of the only grocery store in the small Arkansas town of Fordyce. But...
Cleveland officer who killed Tamir Rice leaves new job in West Virginia
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The former Cleveland officer who fatally shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice in 2014 has resigned from a police force in West Virginia, the third time in six years he left a small department amid backlash shortly after he had been hired. White Sulphur Springs City officials said Timothy...
Rep. Lloyd Doggett is 1st Democrat to publicly call for Biden to step down as party’s nominee
WASHINGTON — A House Democratic lawmaker has become the first in the party to publicly call for President Joe Biden to step down as the Democratic nominee for president, citing Biden’s debate performance against Donald Trump failing to “effectively defend his many accomplishments.” Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas said in...
The U.S. will pay Moderna $176 million to develop an mRNA pandemic flu vaccine
The U.S. government will pay the vaccine maker Moderna $176 million to accelerate development of a pandemic influenza vaccine that could be used to treat bird flu in people, as concern grows about cases in dairy cows across the country, federal officials announced Tuesday. Moderna already has a bird flu...
Supreme Court to weigh whether regulators were heavy handed with flavored e-cigarette products
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court took up an e-cigarette case Tuesday, weighing Food and Drug Administration decisions blocking the marketing of sweet flavored products amid a surge in vaping by young people. The FDA is appealing a lower court ruling siding with vape companies who argue the FDA unfairly denied...
Giuliani disbarred in New York as court finds he repeatedly lied about Trump’s 2020 election loss
NEW YORK — Rudolph Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, federal prosecutor and legal adviser to Donald Trump, was disbarred in New York on Tuesday after a court found he repeatedly made false statements about Trump’s 2020 election loss. The Manhattan appeals court ruled Giuliani, who had his New...
Melting of Alaska’s Juneau icefield accelerates, losing snow nearly 5 times faster than in the 1980sVideo
The melting of Alaska’s Juneau icefield, home to more than 1,000 glaciers, is accelerating. The snow covered area is now shrinking 4.6 times faster than it was in the 1980s, according to a new study. Researchers meticulously tracked snow levels in the nearly 1,500-square mile icy expanse going back to...
Judge delays Trump’s hush money sentencing until at least September after high court immunity ruling
Former President Donald Trump’s sentencing in his hush money case has been postponed until at least September after the judge agreed Tuesday to weigh the possible impact of a new Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity. Trump had been scheduled to face sentencing July 11 on his New York conviction...
Defense Secretary Austin says the U.S. will provide $2.3B more in military aid to Ukraine
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Tuesday that the U.S. will soon announce an additional $2.3 billion in security assistance for Ukraine, to include anti-tank weapons, interceptors and munitions for Patriot and other air defense systems. Austin’s remarks came as Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov met with him at...
U.S. gives key approval to Atlantic Shores offshore wind farm in New Jersey
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — The U.S. Interior Department approved the proposed Atlantic Shores offshore wind farm in New Jersey on Tuesday, giving a major boost to a project that would be the state’s first. The project still requires an additional federal approval of its construction and operations plan, along with...
Beryl heads toward Jamaica as a major hurricane after ripping through southeast CaribbeanVideo
ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada — Hurricane Beryl roared through open waters Tuesday as a powerful Category 4 storm heading toward Jamaica after earlier making landfall in the southeast Caribbean, killing at least six people. A hurricane warning was in effect for Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, Cayman Brac and for Haiti’s...
At least 105 dead in stampede at religious event in India
LUCKNOW, India — A stampede among thousands of people at a religious gathering in northern India has killed at least 105 and left scores injured, officials said Tuesday, with many women and children among the dead. Attendees had rushed to leave the makeshift tent following an event with Hindu figure...
Biden administration proposes rule for workplaces to address excessive heat
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration proposed a new rule Tuesday to address excessive heat in the workplace, as tens of millions of people in the U.S. are under heat advisories due to blistering temperatures. If finalized, the measure would protect an estimated 36 million U.S. workers from injuries related to...
Israel orders Palestinians to flee Khan Younis, signaling likely new assault on southern Gaza city
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — The Israeli army ordered a mass evacuation of Palestinians from much of Khan Younis on Monday, a sign that troops are likely to launch a new ground assault into the Gaza Strip’s second-largest city. The order suggests Khan Younis will be the latest target of...
Trump seeks to set aside New York hush money verdict hours after Supreme Court ruling
NEW YORK — Donald Trump’s lawyers on Monday asked the New York judge who presided over his hush money trial to set aside his conviction and delay his sentencing, scheduled for later this month. The letter to Judge Juan M. Merchan cited the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling earlier Monday and...
After Supreme Court immunity ruling, Biden draws sharp contrast with Trump on obeying rule of lawVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is seeking to put the focus squarely onto Donald Trump following his uneven debate performance last week. Speaking Monday after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling granting broad immunity from prosecution to Trump and other presidents, Biden said the high court’s ruling had undermined the rule...
Hunter Biden sues Fox News over mock trial program
NEW YORK — Hunter Biden is suing Fox News over a fictional series that depicted a mock trial playing out his legal troubles. The son of President Biden filed suit Monday in the New York State Supreme Court. Biden’s lawsuit asserts that Fox News defamed him in a six-part series...
Animal rescuers save more than 100 dolphins during mass stranding event around Cape Cod
WELLFLEET, Mass. — Animal rescuers were able to coax more than 100 dolphins away from shallow waters around Cape Cod over the weekend after about 125 of the Atlantic white-sided dolphins became stranded. An estimated 13 dolphins died and one had to be euthanized, according to the International Fund for...
Dengue fever confirmed in Florida Keys as U.S. on watch for rise in mosquito illness
MIAMI — Two people have fallen ill with dengue fever in the Florida Keys after being bit by infected mosquitoes, prompting health officials to issue an alert for the island chain. The alert comes just days after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory warning...
Appeals court allows part of Biden student loan repayment plan to go forward
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court has allowed the U.S. Education Department to move ahead with a plan to lower monthly payments for millions of student loan borrowers, putting on hold a ruling last week by a lower court. The ruling from the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals puts...
