Thousands flee fires in Greece, Turkey; some rescued by sea
DROSOPIGI, Greece — Thousands of people fled wildfires burning out of control in Greece and Turkey on Friday, including a major blaze just north of the Greek capital of Athens that left one person dead, as a protracted heat wave turned forests into tinderboxes and flames threatened populated areas, electricity...
More than 300 people will be laid off from Cumberland County plant beginning next month
It’s no surprise that GlaxoSmithKline, one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, will close a manufacturing facility in Carlisle. Last February, the company said it would transfer operations at the plant site off Allen Road would transfer to Puerto Rico. At the time, the company said the decision would impact...
Tropical depression likely to form this weekend or early next week
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A tropical depression appears likely to form in the next few days off Africa and drift west across the Atlantic, the National Hurricane Center said Friday morning. The patch of stormy weather has been given a 60% chance of forming a tropical cyclone, a rotating storm...
Arkansas judge blocks state from enforcing mask mandate ban
LITTLE ROCK, Ark.— An Arkansas judge on Friday temporarily blocked the state from enforcing its ban on mask mandates after lawmakers left the prohibition in place despite a rising number of covid-19 cases and hospitalizations. Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox issued a preliminary injunction against the law that Gov....
At least 10 passengers stabbed on underground train in Tokyo
TOKYO — A man with a knife stabbed at least 10 passengers on a commuter train in Tokyo on Friday and was arrested by police after fleeing, fire department officials and news reports said. NHK public television said one passenger was seriously injured. It said the suspect left his knife...
Italy: Covid Green Pass needed for museums, indoor dining
ROME — Pompeii’s archaeological park is offering free swab tests, the Vatican Museums posted refund instructions and tourists whipped out smartphones to show QR codes along with admission tickets Friday as a new covid-19 certification rule took effect in Italy as part of the government’s plan to rein in a...
At river where Tigrayan bodies floated, fears of ‘many more’
WAD EL HILU, Sudan — From time to time, a body floating down the river separating Ethiopia’s troubled Tigray region from Sudan was a silent reminder of a war conducted in the shadows. But in recent days, the corpses became a flow. Bloated, drained of color from their journey, the...
In-person visits being canceled for unvaccinated state prison inmates
State prison inmates who are not vaccinated against the coronavirus no longer will be allowed to have in-person visits from friends and family, according to Department of Corrections Secretary John Wetzel. Also, inmates now will be housed in Pennsylvania’s prisons based on their vaccination status. The new policy takes effect...
Appeals court upholds murder conviction of ex-Dallas officer Amber Guyger
DALLAS — A Texas appeals court on Thursday upheld the murder conviction of a former Dallas police officer who was sentenced to prison for fatally shooting her neighbor in his home. A panel of three state judges ruled that a Dallas County jury had sufficient evidence to convict Amber Guyger...
CNN fires 3 employees for coming to work unvaccinated
NEW YORK — CNN has fired three employees who violated company policy by coming to work unvaccinated against the covid-19 virus. CNN chief Jeff Zucker told staff members of the firing in a memo sent Thursday that reminded them that vaccines were mandatory if they report to the office or...
Police: Oregon school custodian who planned ‘mass casualty event’ arrested
MEDFORD, Ore. — A custodian at a high school in Medford, Oregon, faces felony charges after police say he took “significant steps” toward planning a “mass casualty event” — including one at South Medford High School, where he worked. The Mail Tribune reports Kristopher Wayne Clay, 24, is in the...
Watchdog: No evidence Rudy Giuliani had Clinton probe inside info
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department’s inspector general said Thursday that it did not find evidence that FBI agents shared inside information about the Hillary Clinton email investigation with Rudy Giuliani. The question of whether anyone had leaked information to Giuliani arose after the former New York mayor said in an...
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan: ‘Just get the damn vaccine’Video
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Urging people to “just get the damn vaccine,” Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced new vaccination requirements for state employees who work in congregant settings with the vulnerable on Thursday — or else face strict face-covering requirements and regular covid-19 testing. The Republican governor said the requirements, which...
‘We lost Greenville’: Wildfire decimates California townVideo
GREENVILLE, Calif. — A 3-week-old wildfire engulfed a tiny Northern California mountain town, leveling most of its historic downtown and leaving blocks of homes in ashes, while a new wind-whipped blaze destroyed homes as crews braced for another explosive run of flames Thursday amid dangerous weather. The Dixie Fire, swollen...
Budget office: Infrastructure bill adds $256 billion to deficits
WASHINGTON — Nearing decision time, senators are wrapping up work on the bipartisan infrastructure plan and talks were underway Thursday to expedite consideration of the nearly $1 trillion proposal, with votes expected in the days ahead. A much anticipated analysis of the bill from the Congressional Budget Office concluded that...
South Carolina House lawmaker suing Pelosi over mask rule says he has covid
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Rep. Ralph Norman, one of the three congressional Republicans suing Speaker Nancy Pelosi over fines for not wearing masks during a vote on the U.S. House floor, has contracted a breakthrough case of covid-19, the second member of South Carolina’s delegation to do so. Norman, who has...
FAA head seeks more prosecution of unruly airline passengers
The nation’s top aviation regulator is suggesting that local police around the country should file charges more often against unruly airline passengers and that airports should clamp down on alcohol sales. Federal Aviation Administration chief Stephen Dickson said that every week, police are asked to be there when a flight...
Biden, reversing Trump order, announces tougher car pollution standardsVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden introduced plans Thursday to strengthen car pollution standards through 2026, putting the United States on a path to reduce greenhouse gas emissions — though not as quickly as many environmentalists say is needed. The proposed standards, written by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Transportation...
Off-duty Kentucky deputy working security for car lot fatally shotVideo
LOUISVILLE — An off-duty sheriff’s deputy working security at a car lot in Kentucky was fatally shot early Thursday while sitting in his unmarked vehicle, police said. Someone came up to the vehicle’s window and shot the Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy around 2:30 a.m., according to Louisville Metro Police Department...
Erie teen dies after being pulled from Presque Isle Bay near Convention Center
An 18-year-old Erie man has died after rescue crews pulled him from Presque Isle Bay on Wednesday night. The man, whose name was not released as of Thursday afternoon, was pronounced dead at UPMC Hamot on Wednesday at 9:55 p.m., about 30 minutes after Erie Bureau of Fire divers pulled...
U.S. to investigate Phoenix police over excessive force allegationsVideo
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department on Thursday said it was launching a widespread probe into the police force in Phoenix to examine whether officers have been using excessive force and abusing people experiencing homelessness. The investigation into the City of Phoenix and the Phoenix Police Department is the third sweeping...
Apple to scan U.S. iPhones for images of child abuse
Apple unveiled plans to scan U.S. iPhones for images of child abuse, drawing applause from child protection groups but raising concern among some security researchers that the system could be misused by governments looking to surveil their citizens. Apple said its messaging app will use on-device machine learning to warn...
Police: Perry County woman killed after being attacked by dogs she was watching over
State police at Newport said a woman was killed after three dogs, for which she was caring, attacked her for unknown reasons in late July. Police reported Thursday morning that Rhoda Marie Wagner, 60, of Newport was found dead in the first block of Henry Road in Miller Township on...
1966 death of heiress’ employee under renewed scrutiny
When Doris Duke, a fabulously wealthy tobacco and power company heiress, ran over and killed a longtime employee and confidant at her Newport, Rhode Island, mansion in 1966, police took her at her word that it was an accident. But the story of the killing at Duke’s Rough Point estate,...
Fire rages anew near Athens, evacuations in southern Greece
ATHENS, Greece — Wildfires rekindled outside Athens and forced more evacuations around southern Greece on Thursday as weather conditions worsened and firefighters in a round-the-clock battle stopped the flames just outside the birthplace of the ancient Olympics. As additional support arrived from Greece’s military and European Union countries, water-dropping planes...
