U.S./World category, Page 671
U.K. lawmaker says Johnson critics face government ‘blackmail’
LONDON — A lawmaker from Britain’s governing Conservatives accused the government on Thursday of blackmailing opponents of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, as the party’s internal rifts deepened. William Wragg, a Tory member of Parliament, said legislators calling for a challenge to Johnson’s leadership have faced “intimidation,” and urged them to...
New York City mayor says even he doesn’t feel safe on subway systemVideo
NEW YORK — After a woman was pushed to her death in front of a New York City subway train beneath Times Square over the weekend, Mayor Eric Adams acknowledged to reporters Tuesday that even he didn’t feel entirely safe riding the rails. The Democrat recounted when he rode the...
Supreme Court allows Jan. 6 committee to get Trump documentsVideo
WASHINGTON — In a rebuff to former President Donald Trump, the Supreme Court is allowing the release of presidential documents sought by the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. The justices on Wednesday rejected a bid by Trump to withhold the documents from the committee until the issue is...
3 of Tonga’s smaller islands badly damaged by tsunami
SYDNEY — Three of Tonga’s smaller islands suffered serious damage from tsunami waves, officials and the Red Cross said Wednesday, as a wider picture begins to emerge of the destruction caused by the eruption of an undersea volcano near the Pacific archipelago nation. U.N. humanitarian officials report that about 84,000...
Bronx native Cardi B to cover funeral costs for all 17 victims of deadly borough high-rise blazeVideo
NEW YORK — Grammy-winning Bronx native Cardi B pledged Wednesday to cover the funeral costs of all 17 victims of a high-rise building fire in her home borough. The hip-hop star’s commitment includes the expenses to return some of the dead for burial in their native Gambia, and Cardi B...
Sotomayor, Gorsuch deny report they were at odds over masksVideo
WASHINGTON — Two Supreme Court justices say a media report that they were at odds over the wearing of masks in court during the recent surge in coronavirus cases is false. The court on Wednesday issued an unusual three-sentence statement from Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Neil Gorsuch. It read: “Reporting...
French actor Gaspard Ulliel, 37, dies after ski accident
French actor Gaspard Ulliel, known for appearing in Chanel perfume ads as well as film and television roles, died Wednesday after a skiing accident in the Alps, according to his agent’s office and local authorities. He was 37. Ulliel portrayed the young Hannibal Lecter in 2007’s “Hannibal Rising” and fashion...
Germany criticizes Czech tycoon’s 257 mph Autobahn rideVideo
BERLIN — Germany’s Transport Ministry has criticized a stunt that saw a Czech millionaire drive his high-powered sportscar along a public highway at speeds of up to 414 kilometers per hour — 257 mph. A video posted online this month shows Radim Passer pushing his Bugatti Chiron to extreme speeds...
Israel evicts Palestinians from disputed Jerusalem property
JERUSALEM — Israeli police on Wednesday evicted Palestinians from a disputed property in a flashpoint Jerusalem neighborhood and demolished the building, leaving some 15 people homeless on a cold, rainy day in the wake of a tense standoff earlier this week. The predawn demolition took place in Sheikh Jarrah, an...
Security for Arbery death trial cost taxpayers $1.08 million
BRUNSWICK, Ga. — The trial of three white men who chased and killed Ahmaud Arbery cost local taxpayers $1.08 million for security and other expenses related to the high-profile case, which sometimes drew large crowds to the courthouse but resulted in no violence. Commissioners in coastal Glynn County, Georgia, said...
U.K.’s Johnson defies calls to quit as ouster bid gathers pace
LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson defied calls to resign in a feisty performance Wednesday in Parliament — but it may be too little to prevent a push by his Conservative Party’s lawmakers to oust him over a string of lockdown-flouting government parties. Pressure on the prime minister grew...
New York AG says Trump’s company misled banks, tax officialsVideo
NEW YORK — The New York attorney general’s office late Tuesday told a court its investigators have uncovered evidence that former President Donald Trump’s company used “fraudulent or misleading” asset valuations to get loans and tax benefits. The court filing said state authorities haven’t yet decided whether to bring a...
Pope on prisons: No inmate should ever be deprived of hope
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis issued a plea on behalf of prison inmates Wednesday, saying they should never be deprived of hope and always be given the opportunity to redeem themselves. In remarks at his weekly public audience at the Vatican, Francis told the faithful that “we risk being imprisoned...
Biden to give away 400 million N95 masks starting next week
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration will begin making 400 million N95 masks available for free to Americans starting next week, now that federal officials are emphasizing their better protection against the omicron variant of covid-19 over cloth face coverings. The White House announced Wednesday that the masks will come from...
U.S., Russia show no sign of relenting ahead of Ukraine talksVideo
KYIV, Ukraine — With critical talks approaching, the United States and Russia on Wednesday showed no sign either will relent from entrenched positions on Ukraine that have raised fears of a Russian invasion and a new war in Europe. Speaking in Kyiv, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Russia...
1 killed, 8 hurt as explosion, fire collapses Bronx homeVideo
NEW YORK — One person was killed and eight other people — including five police officers — were hurt Tuesday in a suspected gas explosion and fire in the Bronx, officials said. The blast happened around 11 a.m. at a home on a block of three-story residences in the borough’s...
Rudy Giuliani among Trump allies subpoenaed by Jan. 6 panel
WASHINGTON — The House committee investigating the Capitol insurrection issued subpoenas Tuesday to Rudy Giuliani and other members of Donald Trump’s post-election legal team who filed multiple lawsuits claiming election fraud that were roundly rejected by the courts but gave rise to the lie that Trump did not really lose...
Michigan Attorney General Nessel: ‘Absolutely’ enough evidence to charge GOP electors
LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said she believes there’s “absolutely” enough evidence to bring criminal charges against 16 Republicans who signed a certificate falsely claiming to be the state’s presidential electors in December 2020. Nessel, a Democrat and the state’s top law enforcement official, made the comment...
Former New York Post editor alleges harassment, retaliation
NEW YORK — A New York Post editor whose departure was announced Tuesday alleged she was fired two months after revealing to an executive that former editor Col Allan had sexually harassed her. The Post said any suggestion of wrongdoing related to Editor-in-Chief Keith Poole’s announcement of Michelle Gotthelf’s exit...
U.K. man admits exploiting worker kept in shed for 40 years
LONDON — A man in northwest England pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to exploiting a vulnerable victim who was found living in a garden shed that had been his home for 40 years. The victim was rescued in October 2018 when officers from the Gangmasters & Labour Abuse Authority searched...
Felony charges are 1st in a fatal crash involving Autopilot
California prosecutors have filed two counts of vehicular manslaughter against the driver of a Tesla on Autopilot who ran a red light, slammed into another car and killed two people in 2019. The defendant appears to be the first person to be charged with a felony in the United States...
Rome villa with Caravaggio ceiling fails to sell, to be reauctioned
A villa in Rome containing the only known ceiling painted by Caravaggio went on a court-ordered auction block Tuesday, thanks to an inheritance dispute pitting the heirs of one of Rome’s aristocratic families against their stepmother, a Texas-born princess. Princess Rita Jenrett Boncompagni Ludovisi, formerly known as Rita Carpenter, woke...
Opera singer accepts insanity plea in Mar-a-Lago breach
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The Connecticut opera singer who drew fire from law enforcement when she sped through a checkpoint outside then-President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Florida two years ago was found not guilty by reason of insanity Tuesday. Florida prosecutors and Circuit Judge Scott Suskauer accepted Hannah Roemhild’s...
Despite huge volcano blast, Tonga avoids widespread disaster
The blast from the volcano could be heard in Alaska, and the waves crossed the ocean to cause an oil spill and two drownings in Peru. The startling satellite images resembled a massive nuclear explosion. And yet, despite sitting almost on top of the volcano that erupted so violently on...
Why airlines fear 5G will upend travel this week
AT&T will postpone new wireless service near some airports planned for this week after the nation’s largest airlines said the service would interfere with aircraft technology and cause massive flight disruptions. The company said Tuesday it would delay turning on new cell towers around runways at some airports — it...
