U.S./World category, Page 256
‘Hitting kids should never be allowed’: Illinois bans corporal punishment in all schools
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — This school year, Illinois will become just the fifth state in the nation to prohibit corporal punishment in all schools. Legislation that Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law this month bans physical punishment in private schools while reiterating a prohibition on the practice in public schools implemented...
Massive fire rages for 3rd day at a Russian oil depot targeted in a Ukrainian drone attack
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian authorities struggled Tuesday to put out a massive fire in the southern Rostov region for a third consecutive day after an oil depot was hit by Ukrainian drones, as Kyiv’s forces also pushed into Russia’s Kursk region. The fire at the depot in the town of...
Same-sex couples and LGBTQ+ activists rally in Nepal’s capital during the annual Pride parade
KATHMANDU, Nepal — Hundreds of LGBTQ+ people and their supporters rallied in Nepal’s capital Tuesday during the annual Pride parade, the first since gay couples were able to register same-sex marriages officially in the Himalayan nation following a Supreme Court order in Nov 2023. The annual event brings together the...
Blinken ends latest Mideast visit without a cease-fire, warning ‘time is of the essence’
JERUSALEM — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended his ninth visit to the Middle East since the war in Gaza began without securing a cease-fire deal, warning on Tuesday that “time is of the essence” even as Hamas and Israel signaled that challenges remain. After meetings in fellow mediating...
East Palestine residents want more time and information before deciding to accept $600M settlement
Some East Palestine, Ohio, residents want more time and more information before they have to decide by a deadline this week whether to accept their share of a $600 million class-action settlement with Norfolk Southern over last year’s disastrous train derailment. But it’s not clear whether the judge will rule...
Got cold symptoms? Here’s when kids should take a sick day from school
PHOENIX — As schools reopen for another year, they are focused on improving student attendance. But back-to-school is hitting just as covid-19 cases are increasing, raising the question: When is a child too sick for school? School absences surged during the pandemic and have yet to recover. Nearly 1 in...
U.S. intelligence officials: Iran to blame for hacks targeting Trump, Biden-Harris campaigns
WASHINGTON — U.S. intelligence officials said Monday they were confident that Iran was responsible for the hack of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, casting the cyber intrusion as part of a brazen and broader effort by Tehran to interfere in American politics and undermine faith in democratic institutions. Although the Trump...
Floods from ‘training thunderstorms’ lead to dramatic rescues and 2 deaths in ConnecticutVideo
OXFORD, Conn. — Torrential rains turned streets into raging rivers in parts of Connecticut and New York’s Long Island, trapping people in cars and a restaurant, covering vehicles in mud, and sweeping two women to their deaths, authorities said. Dramatic rescues unfolded as a foot of rain fell on some...
Former U.S. Rep George Santos pleads guilty to wire fraud and identity theft in his federal caseVideo
CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. — George Santos, the former New York congressman who spun lies into a brief political career, pleaded guilty Monday to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, acknowledging that he allowed his ambitions to cloud his judgment. Santos, 36, is likely to spend at least six years in...
Blinken says Israel has accepted U.S.-backed proposal for a cease-fire, calls on Hamas to do sameVideo
TEL AVIV, Israel — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that Israel has accepted a proposal to bridge differences holding up a cease-fire and hostage release in Gaza, and he called on Hamas to do the same, without saying whether it had addressed concerns cited by the militant...
Some protesters tear down security fence as thousands march outside Democratic National Convention
CHICAGO — Dozens of protesters broke through a security fence near the site of the Democratic National Convention on its opening day Monday as thousands took to the streets to voice their opposition to the war in Gaza. Families with babies in strollers, students, elected leaders and others holding signs...
Phil Donahue, whose pioneering daytime talk show launched an indelible TV genre, dead at 88
Phil Donahue, whose pioneering daytime talk show launched an indelible television genre that made household names of Oprah Winfrey, Montel Williams, Ellen DeGeneres and many others, has died. He was 88. NBC’s “Today” show, citing family members, said Donahue died Sunday after a long illness. Dubbed “the king of daytime...
Search continues for British tech magnate and 5 others after luxury superyacht sinks off Sicily
PORTICELLO, Sicily — British tech magnate Mike Lynch and five other people were missing early Monday after their luxury superyacht sank during a freak storm off Sicily, Italy’s civil protection and authorities said. Lynch’s wife and 14 other people survived. Lynch, who was acquitted in June in a big U.S....
Ukrainian officials issue an evacuation order for families with children from the city of Pokrovsk
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian local authorities on Monday ordered families with children to urgently evacuate the eastern city of Pokrovsk. They say Russian forces are advancing so quickly that it is compulsory for families to leave the city and other nearby towns. Russian troops have been pushing toward Pokrovsk for...
Chinese and Philippine ships collide again in disputed waters, and the countries are trading blame
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Chinese and Philippine coast guard ships collided at sea, damaging at least two vessels, in an encounter early Monday near a new flashpoint in their increasingly alarming confrontations in the disputed South China Sea. Each blamed the other for the collision near Sabina Shoal, a disputed atoll...
Antony Blinken, on 9th Mideast trip since Gaza war began, seeks cease-fire momentum as talks to resume
TEL AVIV, Israel — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will use his ninth diplomatic mission to the Middle East since the start of the Israel-Hamas war to press for the quick conclusion of an elusive cease-fire agreement. Blinken arrived in Israel on Sunday before what mediators have billed as...
Ukrainian president says push into Russia’s Kursk region is to create a buffer zone thereVideo
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday the daring military incursion into Russia’s Kursk region aims to create a buffer zone to prevent further attacks by Moscow across the border. It was the first time Zelenskyy clearly stated the aim of the operation, which was launched on Aug....
Volcano erupts after powerful earthquake in Russia’s Far East and scientists warn of a stronger one
PETROPAVOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, Russia — One of Russia’s most active volcanoes has erupted, spewing plumes of ash 5 kilometers (3 miles) into the sky over the far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula and briefly triggering a “code red” warning for aircraft. The Shiveluch volcano began sputtering shortly after a powerful 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck...
Ernesto strengthens back into a hurricane, sends powerful swells, rip currents to East Coast
Tropical Storm Ernesto became a hurricane again Sunday as it churned away from Bermuda and headed further out in the northeastern Atlantic, sending powerful swells toward the U.S. East Coast, generating rip currents associated with at least one death and prompting many rescues. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said...
Tim Walz is returning to his home state where there’s a battle over a key Nebraska electoral vote
OMAHA, Neb. — Thousands of Nebraskans are expected to turn out on Saturday for native son Tim Walz on his first trip back to his home state since becoming the Democratic vice presidential nominee. Supporters hope Walz’s rural roots — he grew up in the small towns of Valentine and...
Border arrests drop 33% to 46-month low in July after asylum restrictions take hold
WASHINGTON — Arrests for illegally crossing the border from Mexico plummeted 33% in July to the lowest level since September 2020, a result of asylum being temporarily suspended, authorities said Friday. The Border Patrol made 56,408 arrests last month, down from 83,536 arrests in June, according to U.S. Customs and...
California social media law likely violates the First Amendment, 9th Circuit panel rules
A 2022 law signed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom aimed at protecting young people online likely violates the First Amendment of the Constitution, a panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday. The bipartisan law, co-authored by Democratic Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks of Oakland and Republican (now former)...
Woman charged with trying to defraud Elvis Presley’s family through sale of iconic Graceland
WASHINGTON — A Missouri woman has been arrested on charges she orchestrated a scheme defraud Elvis Presley’s family by trying to auction off his iconic Graceland property before a judge halted the mysterious foreclosure sale, the Justice Department said Friday. Lisa Jeanine Findley, 53, of Kimberling City, Missouri, falsely claimed...
Texas couple charged with failing to seek medical care for injured 12-year-old who later died
JOURDANTON, Texas — A mother and stepfather have been arrested after the death of their 12-year-old daughter, who lay unconscious in their home for four days before medical treatment was sought as the pair tried to feed her smoothies, according to the county sheriff. “They thought they could nurse her...
Police hunt for 2 teens in Central Park mugging as NYPD clamps down on robbery surge
NEW YORK — Detectives are searching for a pair of teenage thieves who robbed two 20-year-old men inside Central Park, cops said Friday. The search comes as the NYPD conducts a massive crackdown on the iconic greenspace in an attempt to curb a rise of robberies there, officials said. The...
