U.S./World category, Page 923
Germany to compensate gay servicepeople for discrimination
BERLIN — Germany’s Cabinet on Wednesday approved legislation that would provide compensation to gay servicepeople who experienced discrimination in the military before a change of policy 20 years ago. The decision comes two months after Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer issued an apology for decades of discrimination. A study commissioned by...
On speakerphone in Gettysburg, Trump still falsely insists he won election
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump uttered one falsehood after another as he baselessly claimed that he won the 2020 election instead of President-elect Joe Biden as he phoned into an event organized by Pennsylvania Republicans in Gettysburg. Trump’s election lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, attended the event to continue his quixotic and...
Tens of thousands evacuated as India braces for cyclone
NEW DELHI — Tens of thousands of people fled their homes in low-lying areas of southern India and moved to evacuation shelters on Wednesday to escape a cyclone that was barreling toward the region’s coast. Cyclone Nivar is expected to bring heavy downpours after slamming ashore near Mamallapuram and Karaikal...
New York state may speed up, permanently expand vote-by-mail
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York may permanently expand voting by mail — something it tried on a wide scale for the first time this year — while also trying to reform its molasses-slow and opaque process for counting absentee ballots. A proposed constitutional amendment would do away with the rule...
Global push to end domestic violence, worse amid covid-19
PARIS — With domestic violence on the rise amid the coronavirus pandemic, activists are holding protests Wednesday from France to Turkey and world dignitaries are trying to find ways to protect millions of women killed or abused every year by their partners. The pope called for global action to mark...
Sunbeam recalls nearly 1 million Crock-Pot multi-cookers over lid issue
Sunbeam Products has recalled almost 1 million Crock-Pot 6-Quart Express Crock Multi-Cookers because an issue with the lid when used for pressure cooking can result in burns. “The recalled Crock-Pot multi-cooker can pressurize when the lid is not fully locked. This can cause the lid to suddenly detach while the...
With U.S. in covid panic, one senator saw stock opportunity
WASHINGTON — As the ravages of the novel coronavirus forced millions of people out of work, shuttered businesses and shrank the value of retirement accounts, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged to a three-year low. But for Sen. David Perdue, a Georgia Republican, the crisis last March signaled something else:...
Car hits gate outside German leader’s offices; minor damage
BERLIN — A car crashed into the front gate of the building housing German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s offices on Wednesday morning, causing minor damage, authorities said. The driver was detained. Police were investigating the 10 a.m. (4 a.m. Pittsburgh time) crash at the German chancellery in Berlin. The car, a...
OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma pleads guilty in criminal case
Purdue Pharma pleaded guilty Tuesday to three criminal charges, formally taking responsibility for its part in an opioid epidemic that has contributed to hundreds of thousands of deaths but also angering critics who want to see individuals held accountable, in addition to the company. In a virtual hearing with a...
Mysterious shiny monolith found in otherworldly Utah desert
SALT LAKE CITY — Deep in the Mars-like landscape of Utah’s red-rock desert lies a mystery: A gleaming metal monolith in one of the most remote parts of the state. The smooth, tall structure was found during a helicopter survey of bighorn sheep in southeastern Utah, officials said Monday. A...
55-year sentence affirmed for 15-year-old MS-13 gang killer
NEW YORK — An appeals court affirmed a 55-year prison term Tuesday for a member of the MS-13 gang who organized the killings of four teenagers in a Long Island park when he was 15 — but it also expressed regret that the end of parole for federal prisoners means...
New Mexico lawmakers propose $1,200 payment to unemployed
SANTA FE, N.M. — The state legislature is meeting for the second time this year to tackle the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic and has introduced a bill to channel millions in federal funding into a one-time stimulus of $1,200 to economically stressed workers. The stimulus checks would go...
Court says North Dakota governor can’t fill dead candidate’s seat
BISMARCK, N.D. — North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum does not have the authority to appoint someone to a state House seat won by a Republican candidate who died before the election, the North Dakota Supreme Court concluded. The court, in a unanimous ruling issued Tuesday, decided that Burgum “has not...
Vatican butler convicted in Benedict XVI leaks case dies
ROME — Paolo Gabriele, the Vatican butler who was convicted of stealing and leaking Pope Benedict XVI’s private papers in 2012, has died. He was 54. Vatican News, the Holy See’s media portal, said Gabriele died Tuesday after a long, undisclosed illness. Gabriele’s case kicked off the first of two...
Germany warns of anti-Semitism among lockdown protests
BERLIN — A German government official warned Tuesday that anti-Semitism is emerging as a common position among people protesting pandemic lockdown measures who otherwise come from widely differing political backgrounds. Felix Klein, who was appointed in 2018 to head the government’s efforts to combat anti-Semitism, said that hatred against Jews...
Federal judge overrules Alaska attempt to block special hunt
JUNEAU, Alaska — A judge has ruled that the federal government was correct in allowing a southeast Alaska tribe to organize an out-of-season hunt because of the coronavirus pandemic. Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration sued to block future hunts, arguing that permitting a special moose and deer hunt this summer...
Proposal would limit bank pullback of Arctic oil, gas funds
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The federal government has released a proposed rule aimed at limiting the ability of large banks to pull financing from Arctic oil and natural gas projects. The proposal issued last Friday follows announcements by five of the nation’s largest banks that they plan to prohibit or limit...
Virus outbreak delays production at world’s top glove maker
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysia’s Top Glove Corp., the world’s largest maker of rubber gloves, said Tuesday it expects a two to four week delay in deliveries after more than 2,000 workers at its factories were infected by the coronavirus, raising the possibility of supply disruptions during the pandemic. Top...
New York City’s first African American mayor, David Dinkins, dies
NEW YORK — David Dinkins, who broke barriers as New York City’s first African American mayor but was doomed to a single term by a soaring murder rate, stubborn unemployment and his mishandling of a riot in Brooklyn, has died. He was 93. Dinkins died Monday, the New York City...
Uganda death toll up to 45 after opposition leader’s arrest
KAMPALA, Uganda — The death toll from last week’s protests over the arrest of Ugandan opposition presidential hopeful and musician Bobi Wine has risen to 45, police say, with more than 800 people arrested. Police spokesman Fred Enanga told reporters on Monday that “our hearts go to the families” of...
Lunar mission is latest milestone in China’s space ambitions
WENCHANG, China — China’s latest trip to the moon is another milestone in the Asian powerhouse’s slow but steady ascent to the stars. China became the third country to put a person into orbit 17 years ago and the first to land on the far side of the moon in...
N.Y. Gov. Cuomo: Massive Orthodox wedding in Brooklyn ‘disrespectful’
NEW YORK — A Brooklyn synagogue should be investigated over reports that it hosted a secret wedding with thousands of unmasked guests earlier this month, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. “If that happened, it was a blatant disregard of the law,” Cuomo said during a briefing in New York...
China lashes out at U.S. withdrawal from open skies treaty
BEIJING — China on Monday lashed out at Washington over its withdrawal from the “Open Skies Treaty” with Russia, saying the move undermined military trust and transparency and imperiled future attempts at arms control. The treaty, to which China is not a signatory, had allowed each country overflight rights to...
New York state sues Buffalo diocese over priest misconduct
BUFFALO, N.Y. — New York Attorney General Letitia James on Monday sued the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo and two former church leaders, alleging they covered up allegations of sexual misconduct and misused charitable assets by supporting predatory priests who were allowed to retire or go on leave. The lawsuit...
Reports: Israeli PM flew to Saudi Arabia, met crown prince
JERUSALEM — Israeli media reported Monday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Saudi Arabia for a clandestine meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which would mark the first known encounter between senior Israeli and Saudi officials. The reported meeting was the latest move by the Trump Administration to...
