U.S./World category, Page 772
10 seconds of terror: Alaska man survives brown bear mauling
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Allen Minish was alone and surveying land for a real estate agent in a wooded, remote part of Alaska, putting some numbers into his GPS unit when he looked up and saw a large brown bear walking about 30 feet away. “I saw him and he saw...
Court: Faulty breast implant victims should get compensation
PARIS — A French appeal court has ruled that around 2,700 victims of a breast implant scandal are entitled to compensation. The court said that German company TUV Rheinland committed negligence by certifying them as safe. Thursday’s ruling, which might not be final and could go to another higher court,...
U.S., Russia at odds over military activity in the Arctic
REYKJAVIK. Iceland — The Biden administration is leading a campaign against Russian attempts to assert authority over Arctic shipping and reintroduce a military dimension to discussions over international activity in the area. As Russia assumed the rotating chairmanship of the Arctic Council on Thursday, the U.S. rallied other members to...
Greek villages, monasteries evacuated as fire damages homes
LOUTRAKI, Greece — A large wildfire in Greece gutted and damaged dozens of homes and prompted evacuations Thursday as it tore through rugged forest terrain. No injuries were reported. Fire department officials said 17 water-dropping planes and three helicopters were involved to try to contain the blaze about 45 miles...
Israel unleashes strikes as expectations for truce rise
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israel unleashed another wave of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip early Thursday, killing at least one Palestinian and wounding several, and Hamas fired more rockets, even as expectations rose that a cease-fire could be coming. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pushed back against calls from...
Heavy rain in Texas, Louisiana adds to misery in flood zonesVideo
BATON ROUGE — The National Weather Service warned Wednesday that more rain is expected this week in Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, including areas where flooding has already caused misery this week. Forecasters said 2 to 4 inches of rain could fall in southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana on Thursday...
Gov. Greg Abbott signs near-complete ban on abortion in TexasVideo
AUSTIN — Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation Wednesday that abortion opponents call a milestone measure to protect life while advocates decry it as one of the most extreme restrictions in the country and vow to continue fighting it in court. The bill from Mineola Republican state Sen. Bryan Hughes sets...
Former New Jersey archbishop accused in $50 million lawsuit of sexually abusing 5-year-old girl
NEWARK, N.J. — An archbishop of Newark groomed a 5-year-old girl by delivering food to her struggling family and regularly babysitting her, then sexually abusing her on multiple occasions in the 1970s, a lawsuit alleges. The suit filed in March is believed to be the first to level sexual abuse...
7 fraternity members plead not guilty in Bowling Green hazing death
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — Seven men pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to various charges connected to the death of a 20-year-year-old university student in Ohio who drank a bottle of alcohol as part of a hazing ritual in March. The seven entered their pleas in Wood County in northwest Ohio....
U.S. pushes back as ice caps melt in the Arctic and Russia moves inVideo
WASHINGTON — Of the many cold war disputes currently straining Biden administration relations with Russia, one is melting. Literally. Melting ice in the Arctic because of intense climate change has allowed Russia to push its military apparatus, complete with bomber aircraft, radar and missile batteries, deeper into the coveted geopolitical...
Boyfriend denies role in Iowa college student’s 2018 slaying
IOWA CITY, Iowa — The boyfriend of a University of Iowa student testified Wednesday that he had nothing to do with her 2018 abduction and stabbing death, saying he had been out of town for work and heartbroken by her slaying. Dalton Jack, the longtime boyfriend of Mollie Tibbetts, was...
U.S. offers $5 million reward for American woman missing in Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD — The U.S. State Department said Wednesday it was offering a $5 million reward for information about an American woman kidnapped in Afghanistan in 2008. Cydney Mizell, a humanitarian aid worker and her driver, Mohammad Hadi, were kidnapped in southern Kandahar province, where Mizell was teaching English and embroidery...
Explainer: Why has the price of Bitcoin been falling?
NEW YORK — The price of Bitcoin fell as much as 29% Wednesday after the China Banking Association warned member banks of risks associated with digital currencies. Other digital currencies suffered sharp declines as well. Bitcoin’s volatility was on full display: The decline had narrowed to below 10% in early...
Israel’s Netanyahu ‘determined’ to continue Gaza offensive
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Wednesday to press ahead with a fierce military offensive in the Gaza Strip, pushing back against calls from the United States to wind down the operation that has left hundreds dead. Netanyahu’s tough comments marked the first public rift...
New York attorney general says Trump Organization probe is now criminal
NEW YORK — The New York attorney general’s office said Tuesday that it is conducting a criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump’s business empire, expanding what had previously been a civil probe. “We have informed the Trump Organization that our investigation into the company is no longer purely civil...
U.S. encouraging Israel to wind down Gaza offensive
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and administration officials have encouraged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials to wind down the bombardment of Gaza, a person with knowledge of the discussions said Tuesday, as the Israeli and Palestinian death tolls mounted and pressure grew on Biden to move...
Justice Department drops subpoena for information on Devin Nunes parody Twitter accountVideo
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has withdrawn a subpoena filed in the final weeks of the Trump administration that sought information about a Twitter user who parodied Rep. Devin Nunes, according to people familiar with the matter. The California Republican has spent years seeking to unmask such anonymous users and...
Study: Climate change added $8 billion to Sandy’s damages
Climate change-triggered sea level rise added $8 billion in damage during 2012’s Superstorm Sandy, one of nation’s costliest weather disasters, a new study said. During Sandy — a late fall freak combination of a hurricane and other storms that struck New York and surrounding areas — the seas were almost...
Groups ask judge to block Indiana ‘abortion reversal’ law
INDIANAPOLIS — Abortion rights groups asked a federal judge on Tuesday to block a new Indiana law that would require doctors to tell women undergoing drug-induced abortions about a disputed treatment for potentially stopping the abortion process. The lawsuit filed with the U.S. District Court in Indianapolis argues that the...
Virginia: Ex-gynecologist gets 59 years on fraud conviction
NORFOLK, Va. — A former gynecologist in Virginia who was convicted on fraud charges for performing unnecessary surgeries and procedures was sentenced Tuesday to 59 years in prison. Dr. Javaid Perwaiz also was ordered to pay $18.5 million to insurance companies that covered the procedures, news outlets reported. The former...
Biden reverses Trump changes to bank antidiscrimination law
NEW YORK — The Biden administration said Tuesday it will repeal changes made by the Trump administration to a law aimed at stopping banks from discriminating against racial minorities and the poor. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, one of the nation’s bank regulators, said it plans to...
Darwin’s Arch loses its top due to erosion in Galapagos
QUITO, Ecuador — The famed Darwin’s Arch in the Galapagos Islands has lost its top, and officials are blaming natural erosion of the stone. Ecuador’s Environment Ministry reported the collapse on its Facebook page on Monday. The rock structure — 141 feet high, 230 feet long and 75 feet wide...
Shooting targeting party bus in California kills 2, wounds 3
OAKLAND, Calif. — Someone opened fire on a party bus on a San Francisco Bay Area freeway early Tuesday, killing two women and wounding at least three others, authorities said. The passengers were celebrating a woman’s 21st birthday when the bus was attacked around 12:20 a.m. Tuesday on Interstate 580...
FBI investigates Asian-American teen’s death as hate crime
DENVER — The FBI has revealed that it is now investigating the 2017 death of an Asian-American teen in Colorado as a possible hate crime. The federal agency said in a statement Monday to KCNC-TV that it was probing the death of Maggie Long a “hate crime matter.” Long’s death...
EU seeks Mideast cease-fire, concerned conflict will spread
BRUSSELS — European Union foreign ministers called Tuesday for a cease-fire to end days of heavy fighting between the Israeli armed forces and Palestinian militants, but said that a longer-term political solution must be found to end decades of conflict between them. More than 200 Palestinians have been killed in...
