U.S./World category, Page 880
U.S. surgeon general to be in court on Hawaii virus citation
HONOLULU — The U.S. surgeon general is set to be arraigned Wednesday in a virtual court hearing in Hawaii on charges he illegally entered a public park that was closed because of the coronavirus. The criminal complaint against Jerome Adams, who was on Oahu in August helping with surge testing...
Pope Francis endorses same-sex civil unions in new documentary film
ROME — Pope Francis endorsed same-sex civil unions for the first time as pope while being interviewed for the feature-length documentary “Francesco,” which premiered Wednesday at the Rome Film Festival. The papal thumbs-up came midway through the film that delves into issues Francis cares about most, including the environment, poverty,...
Nigeria protesters break curfew amid gunfire, chaos in Lagos
LAGOS, Nigeria — Nigeria’s anti-police protesters stayed on the streets in Lagos on Wednesday, breaking the government curfew following a night of chaotic violence in which demonstrators were fired upon, sparking global outrage. Shots were fired Wednesday as young demonstrators set up barricades by the Lekki toll plaza in Lagos,...
EU says U.K. ‘can’t have cake, eat it, too’ but eyes new talks
BRUSSELS — The European Union struck a defiant tone Wednesday as the standoff over resuming post-Brexit trade negotiations with the United Kingdom intensified, telling London that “you cannot have your cake and eat it, too.” But the bloc’s chief negotiator offered an olive branch to Britain by saying that both...
Exhibits damaged at major Berlin museums, unclear by whom
BERLIN — A large number of art works and artifacts at some of Berlin’s best-known museums were smeared with a liquid by an unknown perpetrator or perpetrators earlier this month, police said Wednesday. The “numerous” works in several museums at the Museum Island complex, a UNESCO world heritage site in...
San Francisco officials let people sue over racist 911 calls
SAN FRANCISCO — Fed up with white people calling 911 about people of color selling water bottles, barbecuing or otherwise going about their lives, San Francisco leaders unanimously approved hate crime legislation giving the targets of those calls the ability to sue the caller. The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday...
Feds say U.S. colleges ‘massively’ underreport foreign funding
A scathing report from the Trump administration on Tuesday concluded that top U.S. universities have “massively underreported” funding they accept from China, Russia and other nations described as “foreign adversaries.” The Education Department released the report amid its effort to enforce a 1986 law requiring U.S. universities to disclose gifts...
California will allow fans at pro sports but not Disneyland
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California will let fans back in outdoor stadiums for pro sporting events in counties with low coronavirus infection rates but isn’t ready to allow Disneyland and other major theme parks to reopen, the state’s top health official said Tuesday. San Francisco and neighboring Alameda and Santa Clara...
Trump tweets clip of ’60 Minutes’ host Lesley Stahl without mask at White House, threatens to air interview early
NEW YORK — He’s tick, tick ticked. President Donald Trump posted video of “60 Minutes” anchor Lesley Stahl appearing maskless after interviewing him Tuesday — then threatened to scoop CBS by airing their recent interview ahead of schedule. “Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes not wearing a mask in the White...
U.S. spacecraft swoops onto asteroid to snap up sample
NEW YORK — A NASA spacecraft on Tuesday conducted the U.S. space agency’s first sample collection from an asteroid as part of seven-year-long voyage. The event, which lasted around 4 1/2 hours, saw Osiris-Rex approaching Bennu at tortoise speed, about 0.19 miles per hour, and then touching down on the...
An electric Hummer? Battery-powered trucks head to showrooms
DETROIT — Seven auto companies have plans to roll out new battery-powered pickup trucks over the next two years, aiming to cash in on a popular and lucrative market for expensive vehicles. General Motors is among them, and on Tuesday its GMC brand introduced a new electric Hummer pickup, with...
Top Minneapolis police official demoted over ‘white boys’ comment
MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis police Chief Medaria Arradondo demoted a high-ranking deputy over the weekend after the deputy’s comments in a Star Tribune article prompted an internal backlash. Art Knight, who had served as Arradondo’s chief of staff, was quoted using the term “white boys” in a story that ran in...
Human remains found in search for Tulsa massacre victims
OKLAHOMA CITY — One set of human remains, and perhaps a second, have been found in a Tulsa cemetery where investigators are searching for victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, Oklahoma state archaeologist Kary Stackelbeck said Tuesday. “We do have one confirmed individual and the possibility of a second”...
Safety board: Lack of oversight blamed for deadly California boat fire
LOS ANGELES — The lack of oversight by a Southern California boat owner led to a fire that killed 34 people on a 2019 scuba diving excursion, the National Transportation Safety Board ruled Tuesday. The predawn fire aboard the Conception is one of California’s deadliest maritime disasters, prompting criminal and...
Grand juror speaks after judge ruling in Breonna Taylor case
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A grand juror who won a court fight to speak publicly about the Breonna Taylor investigation took issue Tuesday with statements by Kentucky’s attorney general and said the jury was not given the option to consider charges connected to Taylor’s shooting death by police. The anonymous grand...
Police: Houston officer killed in shooting, another wounded
HOUSTON — A Houston police officer was killed and a teenager and another officer were wounded Tuesday morning when a man opened fire on law enforcement responding to a domestic disturbance call, authorities said. Police Chief Art Acevedo said officers arrived at the apartment in southwest Houston around 8 a.m....
Minneapolis police deputy demoted over ‘white boys’ comment
MINNEAPOLIS — A high-ranking deputy to the Minneapolis’ police chief said he was demoted after he was quoted in a newspaper story referring to white officers as “white boys,” which led to a backlash within the department. Art Knight, who is Black and who was Police Chief Medaria Arradondo’s chief...
U.S. spacecraft diving to asteroid for rare rubble grab
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A NASA spacecraft descended Tuesday toward the surface of an asteroid 200 million miles away to collect a handful of rubble for return to Earth. The Osiris-Rex spacecraft dropped out of orbit around asteroid Bennu right on time, beginning a 4 1/2-hour plunge to the rough,...
Missouri capital to remove disputed Confederate general marker
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The City Council in Missouri’s capital city has approved removing a Civil War marker dedicated to a Confederate general amid a dispute about the accuracy of its description. Jefferson City Council members voted 8-2 Monday to remove the marker dedicated to Confederate Gen. Sterling Price. The...
French mosque shut over message linked to teacher beheading
A mosque in a Paris suburb is being closed for six months starting Wednesday night on orders from France’s interior minister in a crackdown following the beheading last week of a teacher. A sign posted by the regional prefecture at the entrance of the Pantin mosque, northeast of Paris, said...
UK to infect healthy volunteers in vaccine research trial
U.K. researchers are preparing to infect healthy young volunteers with the virus that causes covid-19, becoming the first scientists to use the controversial technique to study the disease and potentially speed up development of a vaccine that could help end the pandemic. This type of research, known as a human...
Trump says Fauci is ‘terrific guy’ but not ‘team player’
WASHINGTON — A day after claiming that the American people are tired of listening to Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Donald Trump insisted Tuesday that he gets along with the nation’s top infectious disease specialist while also complaining the doctor who has clashed with him at times over the coronavirus is...
Justice Department files landmark antitrust case against Google
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department on Tuesday sued Google for antitrust violations, alleging that it abused its dominance in online search and advertising to stifle competition and harm consumers. The lawsuit marks the government’s most significant attempt to protect competition since its groundbreaking case against Microsoft more than 20 years...
Danish submarine killer recaptured after attempted prison escape
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — A Danish man convicted of torturing and murdering a Swedish journalist on his homemade submarine escaped the suburban Copenhagen jail where he is serving a life sentence but was recaptured nearby Tuesday. The Ekstra Bladet tabloid posted a video of Peter Madsen sitting in the grass with...
More than 1,300 inmates escape from prison in eastern Congo
BENI, Congo — More than 1,300 inmates have escaped from the central prison of Beni in eastern Congo after an attack by rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces, the town’s mayor said Tuesday. Mayor Modeste Bakwanamaha told the Associated Press that one inmate had died in the attack on Kangbayi...
