U.S./World category, Page 896
Trump gives award to Kuwait’s ruling emir
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has bestowed a top U.S. honor on Kuwait’s ruling emir, who has played a central role in resolving a yearslong four-nation boycott of Qatar and is now ill and receiving treatment in the U.S., the White House said Friday. Trump awarded the Legion of Merit...
Flooding affects more than 1 million across East AfricaVideo
JOHANNESBURG — Flooding has affected well over a million people across East Africa, another calamity threatening food security on top of a historic locust outbreak and the coronavirus pandemic. The Nile River has hit its highest levels in a half-century under heavy seasonal rainfall, and large parts of Sudan, Ethiopia...
Libya’s east-based commander promises end of oil blockadeVideo
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Libya’s commander who rules the eastern half of the country and who was behind a year-long military attempt to capture the capital, Tripoli, said Friday that oil production would restart soon, ending a months-long blockade of the nation’s vital oil fields. The Tripoli-based National Oil...
Man serving life requests death for Indiana prison slaying
ANDERSON, Ind. — A man serving two life sentences at an Indiana prison asked for the death penalty for a slaying of a fellow inmate, but a prosecutor said he is reluctant to pursue it. Tommy P. Holland, 45, of Indianapolis is charged with murder in the stabbing of Clifford...
Assange lawyer says Trump offered indirect offer of pardon
LONDON — A lawyer for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has told a London court that her client was indirectly offered a “win-win” deal by President Donald Trump that would see him avoid extradition to the U.S. if he revealed the source of a leak of documents from the Democratic Party...
U.S. curbs WeChat transfers, freezes TikTok as deadline loomsVideo
The U.S. will ban some transactions over the Chinese-owned WeChat app while freezing TikTok’s app starting Sunday, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said. Ross said Friday that the U.S. will prohibit U.S.-to-U.S. transactions related to WeChat and its parent company Tencent Holdings Ltd. but that will not impact activity in China....
U.S. judge blocks Postal Service changes that slowed mailVideo
SEATTLE — A U.S. judge on Thursday blocked controversial Postal Service changes that have slowed mail nationwide, calling them “a politically motivated attack on the efficiency of the Postal Service” before the November election. Judge Stanley Bastian in Yakima, Wash., said he was issuing a nationwide preliminary injunction sought by...
Rescuers reach people cut off by Gulf Coast hurricaneVideo
PENSACOLA, Fla. — Rescuers on the Gulf Coast used high-water vehicles Thursday to reach people cut off by floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Sally, even as a second round of flooding began taking shape along rivers and creeks swollen by the storm’s heavy rains. Across southern Alabama and the...
ICE detainees complained about ‘rough’ treatment from Georgia doctor
ATLANTA — For years, women at a South Georgia immigration jail talked about Dr. Mahendra Amin. The gynecologist was “rough,” they said. His examinations could leave a bruise. And he had a way of turning a routine visit into surgical procedures that the women weren’t sure they needed. “They didn’t...
Report: Feds considered using ‘heat ray’ on D.C. protesters in Lafayette ParkVideo
WASHINGTON — A military whistleblower says federal officials sought some unusual crowd control devices — including one that’s been called a “heat ray” — to deal with protesters outside the White House on the June day that law enforcement forcibly cleared Lafayette Square. In written responses to questions from a...
New York City again delays in-person learning for most students
NEW YORK — New York City’s ambitious attempt to be among the first big cities to bring students back into classrooms closed by the coronavirus suffered another setback Thursday, as the mayor announced he was again delaying the start of in-person instruction for most students due to a shortage of...
Petalo, not Charmin: Pandemic brings Mexican toilet paper to U.S.
NEW YORK — Toilet paper is back on store shelves. But you may not recognize some of the brands. Demand for toilet paper has been so high during the pandemic that in order to keep their shelves stocked, retailers are buying up foreign toilet paper brands, mostly from Mexico. Major...
Nun runs treadmill marathon, raises money for Chicago’s poor
When the Chicago Marathon was canceled because of the coronavirus, Sister Stephanie Baliga decided to put on her sneakers and run the standard 26.2 miles — in her convent’s basement. It started as a promise. Baliga had told her running team that in the event of a cancellation, she’d run...
300 and counting: Push by feds to arrest in U.S. protests
WASHINGTON — In a private call with federal prosecutors across the country, Attorney General William Barr’s message was clear: aggressively go after demonstrators who cause violence. Barr pushed his U.S. attorneys to bring federal charges whenever they could, keeping a grip on cases even if a defendant could be tried...
Japan’s new prime minister begins 1st full day, vows to push reforms
TOKYO — Japan’s new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga started his first full day in office Thursday with a resolve to push forward popular reforms. “I’m determined to work hard for the people and get results so we can live up to their expectations,” Suga told reporters as he walked into...
Ohio teen admits pushing log, striking and killing woman
LOGAN, Ohio — A teenager has admitted helping to push a log off a cliff that struck and killed a married mother of four who was taking photographs at an Ohio state park. Jaden Churchheus, 17, pleaded guilty Wednesday to involuntary manslaughter in the death of 44-year-old Victoria Schafer. Under...
Police: Kentucky man traveled to Illinois with dismembered body in suitcases after homicideVideo
MARKHAM, Ill. — A man visiting relatives in suburban Chicago from Kentucky has been arrested when a woman’s remains were found in several bags of luggage. Police said Melvin Martin Jr., 30, was being charged as a fugitive fleeing prosecution and faces an extradition hearing back to Kentucky, WLS-TV reported....
U.S. charges 5 Chinese citizens in global hacking campaign
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has charged five Chinese citizens with hacks targeting more than 100 companies and institutions in the United States and abroad, including social media and video game companies as well as universities and telecommunications providers, officials said Wednesday. The five defendants remain fugitives, but prosecutors say...
AG William Barr pushes ‘sedition’ charges against racial justice protesters
Attorney General Bill Barr reportedly wants to charge racial justice protesters with sedition, a harsh move that would dramatically raise the stakes in the Trump administration’s crackdown on dissent. Barr ordered federal prosecutors on a recent conference call to consider charging demonstrators with trying to overthrow the government, not just...
Downed power lines sparked 13 Oregon firesVideo
SALEM, Ore. — A fire incident report says downed power lines sparked at least 13 fires during a period of strong wind last week between two Oregon communities that were devastated by flames. The report from the Northwest Interagency Fire Coordination Center that was written last Thursday says the fires...
Retail sales rise for 4th straight month as growth slowsVideo
NEW YORK — Americans kept spending in August, but the pace of that growth is slowing as millions of people who lost jobs have now lost a $600 a week boost in their unemployment checks. Retail sales rose 0.6% last month, the fourth consecutive month of growth, the U.S. Commerce...
Vermont governor vetoes global warming solutions act
MONTPELIER, Vt. — Republican Gov. Phil Scott has vetoed a bill that would have required Vermont to meet certain greenhouse gas emissions targets in the coming years and allowed the state to be sued if it didn’t. Scott said in his veto letter on Tuesday evening that he “shares the...
U.S. introduces broad vaccine plan — but no quick rolloutVideo
WASHINGTON — The government outlined a sweeping plan Wednesday to make vaccines for covid-19 available for free to all Americans when proven safe and effective, though a top public health official made clear that widespread vaccination of millions of Americans couldn’t come until well into next year. In a report...
Hurricane Sally unleashes flooding, hundreds rescuedVideo
PENSACOLA, Fla. — Hurricane Sally lumbered ashore near the Florida-Alabama line Wednesday with 105 mph wind and rain measured in feet, not inches, swamping homes and forcing the rescue of hundreds of people as it pushed inland for what could be a slow and disastrous drenching across the Deep South....
Police leaders pressed Rochester officials to keep Prude video secret
Rochester police commanders urged city officials to hold off on publicly releasing body camera footage of Daniel Prude’s suffocation death because they feared violent blowback if the video came out during nationwide protests over the police killing of George Floyd, newly released emails show. Deputy Chief Mark Simmons cited the...
