U.S./World category, Page 697
Baby elephant loses half its trunk to Indonesia poacher trap
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia — A baby elephant in Indonesia’s Sumatra island has had half of her trunk amputated after being caught in what authorities said Monday was a trap set by poachers who prey on the endangered species. The 1-year-old female is among the last of the island’s 700 wild...
EU to add airlines to Belarus sanctions as tensions mount
BRUSSELS — The European Union on Monday ratcheted up pressure on Belarus by agreeing to slap sanctions on airlines accused of helping President Alexander Lukashenko to wage a “hybrid attack” against the bloc using migrants, as tensions mounted on the Polish border. Up to 4,000 migrants are stuck in makeshift...
U.S. journalist jailed in Myanmar for nearly 6 months is freed
BANGKOK — American journalist Danny Fenster, who was recently sentenced to 11 years of hard labor after spending nearly six months in jail in military-ruled Myanmar, was freed and on his way home Monday, a former U.S. diplomat who helped negotiate the release said. Fenster, the managing editor of the...
9-year-old Dallas boy dies after Astroworld festival crush
HOUSTON — A 9-year-old Dallas boy has become the youngest person to die from injuries sustained during a crowd surge at the Astroworld music festival in Houston. Ezra Blount of Dallas died Sunday at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, family attorney Ben Crump said. Ezra was placed in a medically...
Mar-a-Lago-trespasser deported to China 2 years later
PALM BEACH, Fla. — A Chinese businesswoman convicted of trespassing at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club and lying to Secret Service agents was deported over the weekend, federal authorities said, more than two years after serving her sentence. Yujing Zhang was turned over to immigration officials in December 2019 after...
Woman arrested for punching Southwest Airlines worker
DALLAS — A woman has been arrested after punching a Southwest Airlines employee in the head during boarding for a flight out of a Dallas airport, police said. Arielle Jean Jackson, 32, was arrested Saturday afternoon at Love Field, Dallas police said. Police said Jackson has been charged with aggravated...
Trump’s Washington hotel to be sold, renamed Waldorf Astoria
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s family-run company reached a deal to sell the rights to its Washington, D.C., hotel for $375 million, after which the property will be branded as Waldorf Astoria, according to people familiar with the matter. A Miami-based investment firm, CGI Merchant Group, is in contract to acquire...
U.K.’s Boris Johnson: Climate deal sounds ‘death knell’ for coal
LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson hailed the U.N. climate summit as a “game-changing agreement” that sounded the “death knell for coal power” on Sunday — although he added that his delight at the progress on fighting climate change was “tinged with disappointment.” Johnson said it was “beyond question”...
Nations strike climate deal with coal compromise
GLASGOW, Scotland — Almost 200 nations accepted a contentious climate compromise Saturday aimed at keeping a key global warming target alive, but it contained a last-minute change that watered down crucial language about coal. Several countries, including small island states, said they were deeply disappointed by the change promoted by...
Ecuador battle between prison gangs leaves at least 68 dead
A prolonged gun battle between rival gangs inside Ecuador’s largest prison early Saturday left at least 68 inmates dead in the latest violence to hit the Litoral Penitentiary, which recently saw the country’s worst prison bloodbath. The fighting lasted for almost eight hours in the lockup in the coastal city...
Sister: Hawaii girl was inside dog cage and not breathing
A biological sister of a 6-year-old Hawaii girl reported missing by their adoptive parents told police the parents forced her to keep it a secret that Isabella Kalua was not breathing inside a dog cage in the bathroom, with duct tape on her mouth and nose. The new details were...
Nursing homes can now lift most covid restrictions on visits
The government on Friday directed nursing homes to open their doors wide to visitors, easing many remaining pandemic restrictions while urging residents, families and facility staff to keep their guard up against outbreaks. The new guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services instructs nursing homes to allow visits...
Britney freed: Judge dissolves Spears’ conservatorship
Britney is free. A Los Angeles judge on Friday ended the conservatorship that has controlled Britney Spears’ life and money for nearly 14 years. The decision capped a stunning five-month odyssey that saw Spears publicly demand the end of the conservatorship, hire her own attorney, have her father removed from...
Homer Plessy, key to ‘separate but equal,’ on road to pardon
A Louisiana board on Friday voted to pardon Homer Plessy, whose decision to sit in a “whites-only” railroad car to protest discrimination led to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1896 “separate but equal” ruling affirming state segregation laws. The state Board of Pardons’ unanimous decision to clear the Creole man’s record...
Man who went to space with Shatner dies in plane crash
A man who traveled to space with William Shatner last month was killed along with another person when the small plane they were in crashed in a wooded area of northern New Jersey, according to state police. The one-time space tourist Glen M. de Vries, 49, of New York City,...
Steve Bannon indicted on contempt charges for defying 1/6 subpoena
Steve Bannon, a longtime ally to former President Donald Trump, was indicted Friday on two counts of contempt of Congress after he defied a congressional subpoena from the House committee investigating the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The Justice Department said Bannon, 67, was indicted on one count for refusing...
Kremlin denies plans to invade Ukraine, alleges NATO threats
MOSCOW — The Kremlin on Friday rebuffed allegations that a buildup of its troops near Ukraine reflects Moscow’s aggressive intentions, saying Russia needs to ensure its security in response to alleged NATO threats. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed Western media reports that Moscow has intentions to invade Ukraine as a...
Russia sends paratroopers to Belarus for drills near Poland
MOSCOW — Russia sent paratroopers to Belarus on Friday in a show of support for its ally amid tensions over migrants and refugees amassing on the Belarus-Poland border. The Russian Defense Ministry said that as part of joint war games, about 250 Russian paratroopers parachuted from heavylift Il-76 transport planes...
Myanmar court sentences U.S. journalist to 11 years in jail
BANGKOK — A court in military-ruled Myanmar on Friday sentenced U.S. journalist Danny Fenster to 11 years in prison with hard labor, the maximum penalty under three charges, despite calls by the U.S. and rights groups for his release. It was the harshest punishment yet among the seven journalists known...
Attorney: No more ‘Black pastors’ in court for Arbery case
BRUNSWICK, Ga. — An attorney for one of the white men standing trial in the death of Ahmaud Arbery told the judge Thursday he doesn’t want “any more Black pastors” in the courtroom after the Rev. Al Sharpton sat with the slain man’s family. Kevin Gough represents William “Roddie” Bryan,...
New York man arrested after death threat to GOP congressman
LAKE RONKONKOMA, N.Y. — A Long Island man has been arrested for making a death threat against a Republican congressional member who voted for the $1 trillion infrastructure package, police said. Kenneth Gasper, 64, was arrested Wednesday for a telephoned death threat against Rep. Andrew Garbarino, Nassau County police said...
‘Separate but equal’ Plessy pardon decision goes to governor
NEW ORLEANS — A Louisiana board on Friday voted to pardon Homer Plessy, the namesake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1896 “separate but equal” ruling affirming state segregation laws. The state Board of Pardon’s unanimous decision to clear the Creole man’s record of a conviction for refusing to leave a...
Biden picks former FDA chief Califf to again lead agency
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Friday is tapping former Food and Drug Administration commissioner Robert Califf to again lead the powerful regulatory agency, according to a person familiar with the decision. Califf’s nomination comes after months of concern that the agency near the center of the government’s covid-19 response...
Beloved ‘Dolphin Tale’ star Winter dies at Florida aquarium
CLEARWATER, Fla. — A prosthetic-tailed dolphin named Winter that starred in the “Dolphin Tale” movies died Thursday evening at a Florida aquarium despite life-saving efforts to treat a gastrointestinal abnormality, aquarium officials said. The 16-year-old female bottlenose dolphin died while being held by animal care experts who were preparing Winter...
Court temporarily delays release of Trump’s Jan. 6 recordsVideo
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court on Thursday temporarily blocked the release of White House records sought by a U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection, granting — for now — a request from former President Donald Trump. The administrative injunction issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for...
