U.S./World category, Page 509
Supreme Court rejects challenge to California pork law mandating more space for pigs
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a challenge to a California animal cruelty law that affects the pork industry, ruling that the case was properly dismissed by lower courts. Pork producers had said that the law could force industry-wide changes and raise the cost of bacon and other...
Buddhist monks accused of embezzling millions donated to Thailand temple
BANGKOK — Seven Buddhist monks are among nine suspects who are being held in pre-trial detention after being arrested for allegedly embezzling assets worth about $8.9 million from donations received by a temple in Thailand’s northeast, authorities said Thursday. The Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases said the actions...
Ukraine says its counteroffensive now delayed; Britain says it’s sent cruise missiles to Kyiv
KYIV, Ukraine — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in remarks broadcast Thursday that Kyiv is delaying its long-awaited counteroffensive against Russia’s occupying forces because Ukraine lacks enough Western weapons to succeed without suffering too many casualties. His remarks, in an interview with European broadcasters, were aired shortly before Britain said it...
U.S. jobless claims filings highest since 2021, job market remains healthy
The number of Americans filing for jobless claims last week rose to its highest level in a year-and-a-half, though the labor market remains healthy by historical standards. Applications for unemployment benefits for the week ending May 6 rose by 22,000 to 264,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s up from...
Shooting at Mercedes factory in Germany leaves 2 dead; suspect detained
BERLIN — A man opened fire at a Mercedes-Benz factory in southwestern Germany on Thursday, leaving two people dead, authorities and the company said. The shooting occurred in Sindelfingen, a city near Stuttgart. The suspect, a 53-year-old man, was taken into custody, a spokesman for the Stuttgart prosecutor’s office said....
What to know about Trump’s CNN town hall: Lies about election and abortion, attacks on accuser
NEW YORK — Donald Trump’s primetime return to CNN Wednesday for the first time since 2016 felt like a throwback: Trump with the long, twisting answers; the interviewer at times struggling to fact-check him or return his focus to the question at hand; and then, eventually, both talking over each...
‘Now or never’: Migrants rush to U.S. border ahead of Title 42 expiration
MATAMOROS, Mexico — Migrants rushed across the border hours before pandemic-related asylum restrictions were to expire Thursday, fearing that new policies would make it far more difficult to gain entry into the United States. In a move to clear out overwhelmed holding facilities, Border Patrol agents were told Wednesday to...
As public health emergency ends, pandemic-era support programs have already been fading away
WASHINGTON — The formal end of the national Public Health Emergency on Thursday is largely a symbolic and psychological step, representing the country’s formal emergence from the covid-19 pandemic. But behind the scenes, several core aspects of America’s pandemic-era emergency safety net are also coming to a close, from extra...
Real-life ‘The Queen’s Gambit’: Custodian leads school chess teams in Maine
HAMPDEN, Maine — David Bishop spends the school day as a mild-mannered custodian, but before the final bell rings, he grabs his chess boards and pieces and begins his second role. “The Queen’s Gambit” is playing out in real life in Maine, where this custodian is coaching his schools’ chess...
Figuring out Texas: From guns to immigration, here’s how one state’s challenges echo the country’s
HOUSTON — Thirteen people dead in two mass shootings. Eight immigrants killed when an SUV slams into a crowded bus stop. The likely approval of legislation that would let the Republican governor overturn elections in the most populous county, a Democratic stronghold. All in the past two weeks. These issues...
Dutch suspect in Natalee Holloway disappearance will be sent from Peru to U.S. to face fraud charges
MEXICO CITY — Peru’s government issued an executive order Wednesday allowing the extradition to the United States of the prime suspect in the unsolved 2005 disappearance of American student Natalee Holloway on the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba. The Peruvian Embassy in Washington told The Associated Press the order allows...
Judge who presided over Parkland school shooting trial announces resignation
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The Florida judge who gained a national profile while presiding over the Parkland school shooting trial announced Wednesday that she is resigning June 30 to pursue unspecified career opportunities. Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer rose in prominence when she oversaw the televised penalty trial of Nikolas Cruz....
Army sergeant who fatally shot BLM protester in Texas sentenced to 25 years as governor seeks pardonVideo
AUSTIN, Texas — A U.S. Army sergeant who fatally shot an armed protester at a Black Lives Matter march in Texas was sentenced to 25 years in prison Wednesday, after prosecutors used his social media history and text messages to portray him as a racist who may commit violence again....
Passenger charged with hiding camera in cruise ship restroom
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A passenger on a Caribbean cruise has been arrested after a hidden camera with video of dozens of people, including children, was discovered in a public restroom, officials said. Jeremy Froias was arrested last Wednesday in Puerto Rico and charged with video voyeurism and attempted...
Mom of Virginia boy who shot teacher takes responsibilityVideo
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Four months after a 6-year-old Virginia boy shot and wounded his teacher as she taught class, an attorney for the boy’s mother said it still is not clear how the boy got the gun. Police have said Deja Taylor legally purchased the gun used in the...
Harris 1st woman to deliver West Point commencement speech
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Vice President Kamala Harris will be the first woman to deliver a commencement speech at a West Point graduation ceremony, White House officials said. Harris will deliver the keynote address on May 27 at the U.S. Military Academy for the Class of 2023. “We are honored...
Blast at Sweden ammunition factory injures at least 1
STOCKHOLM — An explosion at an ammunition factory in southern Sweden seriously injured at least one person Wednesday, police said. Police said they were investigating the blast as an industrial accident. The factory in Karlsborg, about 137 miles southwest of Stockholm, was manufacturing small-caliber ammunition. While there was “uncertainty about...
Spain plans to ban outdoor work in extreme heat
MADRID — Spain says it plans to ban outdoor work during periods of extreme heat. Second Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz told reporters Wednesday that the government will modify legislation covering occupational risks to prohibit outdoor work when the state weather agency, AEMET, issues red or orange alerts. The agency...
U.S. to limit asylum at Mexico border, open 100 migration hubs
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s administration on Thursday will begin denying asylum to migrants who show up at the U.S.-Mexico border without first applying online or seeking protection in a country they passed through , according to a new rule released Wednesday. It’s part of new measures meant to crack...
Senate panel OKs rail-safety bill; railroad vows to help homeowners affected by Ohio derailment
A Senate committee on Wednesday approved a rail-safety bill introduced after the derailment of a freight train in East Palestine, Ohio, but its fate remains uncertain due to significant Republican opposition. The bill would increase inspections of trains carrying hazardous materials, require the use of technology to detect track defects,...
Rep. George Santos pleads not guilty to charges alleging fraud, theft at heart of campaignVideo
CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. — U.S. Rep. George Santos, the New York Republican infamous for fabricating his life story, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges he duped donors, stole from his campaign and lied to Congress about being a millionaire, all while cheating to collect unemployment benefits he didn’t deserve. Afterward,...
Long popular in Asia, floating solar catches on in U.S.
When Joe Seaman, the city planner for the working class town of Cohoes, N.Y., Googled the term “floating solar,” he didn’t even know it was a thing. What he did know is that his tiny town needed an affordable way to get electricity and had no extra land. But looking...
Florida detective accused of falsifying sex crimes cases
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A detective who has been with a South Florida sheriff’s agency for nearly 21 years is accused of falsifying information in multiple cases and of threatening one victim with deportation. Detective Demetrious Campbell, 48, was arrested Tuesday on nine counts of official misconduct and one count...
Britain: 1st babies born in country using DNA from 3 people
LONDON — Britain’s fertility regulator on Wednesday confirmed the births of the U.K.’s first babies created using an experimental technique combining DNA from three people, an effort to prevent the children from inheriting rare genetic diseases. Britain’s Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority said fewer than five babies have been born...
Mass event will let hackers test limits of AI technology
No sooner did ChatGPT get unleashed than hackers started “jailbreaking” the artificial intelligence chatbot — trying to override its safeguards so it could blurt out something unhinged or obscene. But now its maker, OpenAI, and other major AI providers such as Google and Microsoft, are coordinating with the Biden administration...
