U.S./World category, Page 378
A tropical cyclone makes landfall in northern Madagascar, killing 18 people
ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar — A tropical cyclone that swept across Madagascar has killed 18 people and left four missing after making landfall on the north of the Indian Ocean island nation earlier this week, authorities said on Friday. The storm has also caused severe flooding that partly submerged entire villages, displaced...
Biden says he’s working to secure release of Wall Street Journal reporter held for a year in Russia
NEW YORK — On the one-year anniversary of the Russian detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, President Joe Biden said the U.S. is working every day to secure his release. “Journalism is not a crime, and Evan went to Russia to do his job as a reporter —...
Magnitude 2.8 earthquake shakes southern Illinois; no damage or injuries reported
GERMANTOWN, Ill. — An earthquake of magnitude 2.8 has been reported in southern Illinois, near the Missouri state line, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The earthquake was detected about 6:55 p.m. Thursday north of Germantown, about 40 miles east of St. Louis, at a depth of just over 14 miles....
Thai court acquits dozens of protesters who shut down Bangkok’s airports in 2008
BANGKOK — A Thai court on Friday acquitted nearly 70 people of all charges related to mass protests that shut down Bangkok’s two airports in 2008 for about 10 days. The ruling by the Bangkok Criminal Court was the second this year finding that the protesters, who opposed a government...
Russia launches barrage of 99 drones and missiles on Ukraine’s energy system, officials say
KYIV, Ukraine — Moscow launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure Friday, with a mass barrage of 99 drones and missiles hitting regions across the country, Ukraine’s armed forces said. Air raid warnings rang out across the country, with 10 Ukrainian regions coming under fire, the country’s Interior Minister,...
5 dead, over 100 hospitalized from recalled Japanese health supplements
TOKYO — Five people who took a Japanese health supplement have died and more than 100 have been hospitalized as of Friday, a week after a pharmaceutical company issued a recall of the products, officials said. Osaka-based Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. came under fire for not going public quickly with problems...
$1B in tax refunds still unclaimed, IRS says. Is some of it yours?
The government could owe you money, but time is running out to collect it. About 940,000 people in the U.S. still haven’t filed their 2020 tax return, the IRS said in a recent press release, meaning that there’s more than $1 billion in refunds remain unclaimed. “There’s money remaining on...
Alex Murdaugh’s lawyers say FBI agent’s mention of Joran van der Sloot led to failed polygraph test
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Lawyers for Alex Murdaugh said an FBI agent conducting a polygraph test that the agency said the convicted killer flunked asked odd questions and confided he had just examined the notorious Dutch killer of an Alabama teen, throwing the results off. The name-check of Joran van der...
Biden OKs $60M in aid after Baltimore bridge collapse as governor warns of ‘very long road ahead’
BALTIMORE — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore warned Thursday of a “very long road ahead” to recover from the loss of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge as the Biden administration approved $60 million in immediate federal aid after the deadly collapse. Massive barges carrying cranes streamed toward the site to begin...
Tennessee governor signs bill to undo Memphis traffic stop reforms after Tyre Nichols death
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Thursday signed off on the repeal of Memphis police traffic stop reforms set in place after the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols by officers just over a year ago. By enacting the legislation, the Republican governor sided with GOP lawmakers who forged...
Oklahoma judge rules death row inmate not competent to be executed
OKLAHOMA CITY — An Oklahoma judge ruled Thursday that a death row inmate is not competent to be executed for his role in the 1999 slayings of a mother and son. Pittsburg County Judge Michael Hogan issued an order in the case involving 61-year-old James Ryder in that county. “The...
Tennessee politicians strip historically Black university of its board
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Trustees of Tennessee’s only publicly funded historically Black university were removed Thursday under legislation signed into law by Republican Gov. Bill Lee. Black lawmakers and community leaders said state leaders, a majority of whom are white, are unfairly targeting Tennessee State University. The legislation cleared the state...
Ex-Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura says he will sell cannabis edibles
MINNEAPOLIS — Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura has announced he is entering the cannabis market as a seller, as the state still figures out retail sales of the drug on the heels of legalizing marijuana for adults last year. Ventura is launching his own brand of cannabis edibles in partnership...
Biden administration restores threatened species protections dropped by Trump
BILLINGS, Mont. — The Biden administration on Thursday restored rules to protect imperiled plants and animals that had been rolled back back under former President Donald Trump. Among the changes announced, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will reinstate a decades-old regulation that mandates blanket protections for species newly classified...
Pope, looking strong, washes feet of 12 women at Rome prison from wheelchair
ROME — Pope Francis washed and kissed the feet of 12 women inmates at a Rome prison during a Holy Thursday ritual meant to emphasize his vocation of service and humility. The 87-year-old Francis performed the ritual from his wheelchair, after recent ailments have compounded his mobility problems. The Rebibbia...
UN top court orders Israel to open more land crossings for aid into Gaza
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The top United Nations court on Thursday ordered Israel to take measures including opening more land crossings to allow food, water, fuel and other supplies into Gaza to tackle crippling shortages in the war-ravaged enclave. The International Court of Justice issued two new so-called provisional measures...
Putin says he won’t start a war with NATO but Western bases hosting Ukraine F-16s would be targets
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian President Vladimir Putin scoffed at the possibility of his country launching an attack on a NATO member, calling it “sheer nonsense,” but warned that any Western air base hosting U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets that are slated for deployment in Ukraine would be a “legitimate target” for...
White House expects about 40,000 participants at its ‘egg-ucation’-themed annual Easter egg roll
Some 40,000 people are expected to participate in Monday’s “EGG-ucation”-themed White House Easter Egg Roll, about 10,000 more people than last year. A teacher for more than 30 years, Jill Biden is transforming an annual tradition first held in 1878 into an “EGG-ucational” experience. Various stations on the South Lawn...
4 Canadian school boards sue Snapchat, TikTok and Meta for disrupting students’ education
TORONTO — Four of the largest school boards in the Canadian province of Ontario said Thursday they launched lawsuits against TikTok, Meta and Snapchat alleging the social media platforms are disrupting student learning. The lawsuits claim platforms like Facebook and Instagram are “designed for compulsive use, have rewired the way...
Philippine president warns of countermeasures in response to Chinese aggression at sea
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine president said Thursday that his government would take action against what he called dangerous attacks by the Chinese coast guard and suspected militia ships in the disputed South China Sea, saying “Filipinos do not yield.” Ferdinand Marcos Jr. did not provide details of the actions...
Judge: Ex-Trump lawyer Eastman should lose state law license for efforts to overturn election
LOS ANGELES — A judge has recommended conservative attorney John Eastman lose his California law license over his efforts to keep former President Donald Trump in power after the 2020 election. Eastman, a former law school dean, faces 11 disciplinary charges in the state bar court stemming from his development...
4 killed, 5 wounded in stabbings in northern Illinois; suspect in custody
ROCKFORD, Ill. — Four people were killed and five were hurt in stabbings in northern Illinois on Wednesday, authorities said. A suspect is in police custody and was being questioned Wednesday afternoon, according to Rockford police Chief Carla Redd. She said one of the people who was wounded remained in...
Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP pick in 2000, dies at 82
NEW YORK — Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who nearly won the vice presidency on the Democratic ticket with Al Gore in the disputed 2000 election and who almost became Republican John McCain’s running mate eight years later, has died, according to a statement issued by his family....
West Virginia animal shelter pleads for help fostering dogs after truck crashes into building
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A West Virginia animal shelter put out an urgent plea for people to foster its dogs after a vehicle plowed into its building Wednesday, shelter officials said. The Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association said on Facebook that a rental truck struck the building as workers were cleaning. One dog’s...
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in New York hush-money criminal case
NEW YORK — Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order ahead of his April 15 hush-money criminal trial, suggesting, without evidence, that the veteran jurist was kowtowing to his daughter’s interests as a Democratic political consultant. The former president objected...
