U.S./World category, Page 919
‘Second wave’ virus fears strike blow to tourism industryVideo
LONDON — Concerns over a “second wave” of coronavirus infections brought on by returning holidaymakers is wreaking havoc across Europe’s tourism industry, particularly in Spain, following Britain’s effective ban on travel to the country. In a move that reflects the continent’s piecemeal approach to keeping the virus at bay, the...
Trump again pushes unproven drug hydroxychloroquine as covid-19 treatment
WASHINGTON — A week after appearing to project a more serious tone about the coronavirus, President Donald Trump is back to pushing unproven claims that an anti-malaria drug is an effective treatment and challenging the credibility of the nation’s leading infectious disease expert. Dr. Anthony Fauci pushed back Tuesday, saying...
Pandemic drives average age of cars in U.S. to a record high
Drivers are holding on to cars and trucks longer during the coronavirus pandemic. The average age of a vehicle on U.S. roads rose by a month this year to a record 11.9 years. The IHS Markit consulting firm says the pandemic has caused consumers to put the brakes on spending...
Swimmer killed in apparent shark attack off Maine coast
HARPSWELL, Maine — A woman was killed in an apparent shark attack off the coast of Maine on Monday, a rare occurrence that has only been recorded once before in the state by an unprovoked shark. Maine Marine Patrol said a witness saw the woman swimming off the shore of...
Officer challenges account of violent clearing of protesters in Lafayette Square
The U.S. Park Police and Secret Service violently routed protesters from Lafayette Square last month without apparent provocation or adequate warning, immediately after Attorney General William Barr spoke with Park Police leaders, according to an Army National Guard officer who was there. The account of National Guard Maj. Adam DeMarco...
Pelosi, others hail John Lewis as ‘conscience’ of CongressVideo
WASHINGTON — In a solemn display of bipartisan unity, congressional leaders praised the late Democratic Rep. John Lewis as a moral force for the nation on Monday in a Capitol Rotunda ceremony rich with symbolism and punctuated by the booming, recorded voice of the late civil rights icon. House Speaker...
More U.S. agents may go to Portland; mayors want limitsVideo
PORTLAND, Ore. — The mayors of six U.S. cities appealed Monday to Congress to make it illegal for the federal government to deploy militarized federal agents to cities that don’t want them, even as the Trump administration is considering sending more of them to Portland, Ore. “This administration’s egregious use...
Belgium implements drastic plan to avoid another lockdown
BRUSSELS — Belgium’s prime minister on Monday unveiled a set of drastic social distancing measures aimed at avoiding a new general lockdown amid a surge of covid-19 infections. Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes said that from next Wednesday contacts outside family circles will be limited to the same five people over...
Rare blue lobster saved from Ohio Red Lobster
A blue lobster was saved from a diner’s plate and now resides comfortably at a new home at an Ohio zoo. The rare crustacean was spotted in the live lobster delivery by employees at the Red Lobster restaurant in Cuyahoga Falls, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. The staff contacted...
Iran moves mock aircraft carrier to sea amid U.S. tensions
Iran has moved a mock aircraft carrier to the strategic Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions with the United States, satellite photographs released on Monday show, likely signalling the Islamic Republic soon plans to use it for live-fire drills. An image from Maxar Technologies taken Sunday shows an Iranian fast...
Mountain rescuers heft ailing St. Bernard off English peak
St. Bernards are known for helping to rescue distressed travelers in the mountains, but the tables were turned Sunday in northern England. Sixteen volunteers from the Wasdale mountain rescue team took turns carrying Daisy, a 121-pound St Bernard, from England’s highest peak, Scafell Pike. The mountain rescue team spent nearly...
White House: ‘No risk of exposure’ to Trump as national security adviser tests positive for covid-19
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s national security adviser has tested positive for covid-19 days after attending a family function, White House officials said Monday. Robert O’Brien, Trump’s fourth national security adviser, is the highest-level U.S. government official known to have tested positive for the novel coronavirus since the pandemic began....
On Portland’s streets: Anger, fear, and a fence that divides
PORTLAND, Ore. — The party at the Salmon Street Springs fountain, a riverfront landmark in the heart of Portland, was just getting started. Dozens of drummers beat out entrancing rhythms and a crowd of hundreds danced joyfully as the setting sun cast a soft pink glow on distant Mount Hood....
Hurricane Douglas swirls ‘uncomfortably close’ to HawaiiVideo
HONOLULU — Heavy rain and wind gusts battered Maui on Sunday as Hurricane Douglas swirled off the coast of Hawaii and officials urged residents to take shelter. Forecasters said the Category 1 hurricane would pass close to Oahu and potentially even make a direct hit on the island, which is...
Couple wears swastika masks to intimidate shoppers at Minnesota WalmartVideo
MARSHALL, Minn. — A couple in Minnesota wore red face masks emblazoned with swastikas to a Walmart in a video posted on social media. Police were called Saturday to the Walmart in Marshall, in the southwest part of the state, on a report that two shoppers were wearing the mask...
Police, protesters clash in violent weekend across U.S.
ATLANTA — Protests took a violent turn in several U.S. cities over the weekend with demonstrators squaring off against federal agents outside a courthouse in Portland, Ore., forcing police in Seattle to retreat into a station house, and setting fire to vehicles in California and Virginia. A protest against police...
Portland protesters breach fence around federal courthouseVideo
PORTLAND, Ore. — Authorities declared a riot early Sunday in Portland, Ore., where protesters breached a fence surrounding the city’s federal courthouse building where U.S. agents have been stationed. Police described via Twitter the “violent conduct of people downtown” as creating a “grave risk of public alarm.” Police demanded people...
Mexico says death toll rose 55% for March-June amid outbreak
Mexico is raising its estimate for the death toll for about two-thirds of the country by 55% between mid-March and late June following the coronavirus outbreak, according to health officials. The Latin American nation said in 20 out of 32 states alone, fatalities from covid-19 and other causes increased by...
Body of civil rights icon John Lewis crosses Selma bridgeVideo
SELMA, Ala. — The late U.S. Rep. John Lewis crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., for the final time Sunday as remembrances continue for the civil rights icon. The bridge became a landmark in the fight for racial justice when Lewis and other civil rights marchers were beaten...
Workers praise Disney virus safety, but will visitors come?
ORLANDO, Fla. — Every week, it seems, Kaila Barker, her husband and their five children change their minds about whether to travel from their home in Connecticut to Florida’s Walt Disney World as planned in September. On the one hand, the lack of crowds means more opportunities to go on...
Tropical Storm Hanna drenches South Texas amid virus crisisVideo
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A day after roaring ashore as a hurricane, Hanna lashed the Texas Gulf Coast on Sunday with high winds and drenching rains that destroyed boats, flooded streets and knocked out power across a region already reeling from a surge in coronavirus cases. Downgraded to a tropical...
Police declare riot at Seattle protests, make arrests
SEATTLE — Seattle police declared a riot Saturday following large demonstrations in the city’s Capitol Hill neighborhood and deployed flash bangs and pepper spray to try to clear an area near where weeks earlier people had set up an “occupied protest zone” that stretched for several blocks. Via Twitter, police...
Virus-weary Texas hit by Category 1 Hurricane Hanna
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Hurricane Hanna roared ashore onto the Texas Gulf Coast on Saturday, bringing winds that lashed the shoreline with rain and storm surge, and even threatening to bring possible tornadoes to a part of the country trying to cope with a spike in coronavirus cases. The first...
Mnuchin: Virus aid package soon, $1,200 checks by August
WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Saturday that Republicans were set to roll out the next covid-19 aid package Monday and assured there was backing from the White House after he and President Trump’s top aide met to salvage the $1 trillion proposal that floundered only days before. Mnuchin...
North Korea puts Kaesong city on lockdown over virus concerns
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea says it has placed the city of Kaesong near the border with South Korea under lockdown over coronavirus concerns. The North’s Korean Central News Agency reported Sunday the measure was taken Friday afternoon after it found a person with suspected covid-19 symptoms in the...
