U.S./World category, Page 607
Explainer: What’s behind the storming of Iraq’s parliament?
BAGHDAD — The followers of the influential populist Shiite cleric came by the thousands to storm Iraq’s parliament. Just as quickly, the protesters dispersed at his command. Mass mobilization and control is a well-worn strategy of Muqtada al-Sadr, a mercurial figure who has emerged as a powerful force in Iraq’s...
5 dead, 66 migrants rescued from waters near Puerto Rico
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — At least five migrants drowned and another 66 were rescued on Thursday after a suspected human smuggling boat dropped the group off in waters near an uninhabited island west of Puerto Rico, officials said. Federal and local authorities were still on the scene searching for...
Attacks in central Mali kill 3 civilians, 15 soldiers
BAMAKO, Mali — At least three civilians and 15 soldiers have been killed in separate attacks in central Mali, the army said, the latest round of attacks as insecurity worsens in the West African nation. Two attacks Wednesday targeted Mali army positions in the center of the country, and the...
U.S. economy shrank 0.9% last quarter, its 2nd straight drop
WASHINGTON — The U.S. economy shrank from April through June for a second straight quarter, contracting at a 0.9% annual pace and raising fears that the nation may be approaching a recession. The decline that the Commerce Department reported Thursday in the gross domestic product — the broadest gauge of...
JetBlue agrees to buy Spirit for $3.8 billion
JetBlue has agreed to buy Spirit Airlines for $3.8 billion in a deal that would create the nation’s fifth largest airline if approved by U.S. regulators. The agreement Thursday comes a day after Spirit’s attempt to merge with Frontier Airlines fell apart. Spirit had recommended its shareholders approve a lower...
Federal judge tosses Kentucky student’s lawsuits over D.C. encounter
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A federal judge on Tuesday threw out multimillion-dollar defamation lawsuits against five media companies brought by a Kentucky student involved in a 2019 widely viewed encounter with a Native American man at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. Nicholas Sandmann, then a 16-year-old student at Covington Catholic High...
Alaska State Troopers: 15-year-old kills 3 siblings, himself
FAIRBANKS, Alaska — A 15-year-old boy shot and killed three siblings at a home near Fairbanks and was found with an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound, Alaska State Troopers said. The troopers, in a statement, said they received a report of shots being fired on Tuesday afternoon at a Fairbanks home....
July 4 parade attack suspect indicted for murder, attempted murder
CHICAGO — The man accused of opening fire on an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago has been indicted by a grand jury on 21 first-degree murder counts, 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery, representing the seven people killed and dozens wounded in the attack...
West Virginia man tied to officer’s attack pleads guilty to lesser charges
A West Virginia man initially charged with assaulting a police officer who died after defending the U.S. Capitol from a mob pleaded guilty on Wednesday to misdemeanor offenses that could allow him to avoid more jail time. Another man accused of attacking the officer with bear spray is weighing a...
Former Greensburg-area dentist to testify in trial over wife’s safari death
DENVER — A wealthy dentist accused of shooting and killing his wife in their cabin at the end of an African safari trip testified Wednesday that an unfamiliar shotgun they brought with them to hunt a leopard accidentally went off, wounding her as she hurried to pack early in the...
How a driven prosecutor is building the case to execute Parkland killer: ‘Brick by brick’
MIAMI — When Mike Satz stood up and approached the jury, he did not raise his voice, bellow about justice or dramatically point his finger at the mass murderer seated a few feet away. Instead, the career prosecutor calmly delivered an exhaustive account of Nikolas Cruz’s 2018 rampage through a...
In rare contact, U.S. offers Russia deal for Griner, Whelan
WASHINGTON — The U.S. has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday. In a sharp reversal of previous policy, Blinken also said he expects to speak with his Kremlin counterpart for...
Woman who says she’s Charles Manson’s sister withdraws from dispute over his estate
LOS ANGELES — A woman who claimed to be Charles Manson’s sister has backed out of a dispute over the estate of the cult leader who was responsible for a string of murders across Los Angeles in 1969. L.A. County Superior Court Judge Ruben Garcia granted the withdrawal of the...
Ex-cops Kueng, Thao sentenced for violating Floyd’s rights
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced two former Minneapolis police officers who were convicted of violating George Floyd’s civil rights to lighter terms than recommended in sentencing guidelines, calling one “truly a rookie officer” and describing the other as “a good police officer, father and husband.”...
Followers of cleric enter Iraqi parliament in show of force
BAGHDAD — Hundreds of Iraqi protesters breached Baghdad’s parliament Wednesday chanting anti-Iran curses in a protest against the selection of a nominee for prime minister by Iran-backed parties. The majority of the protesters were followers of influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The demonstrators, all of them men, were seen walking...
Big pink diamond discovered in Angola, largest in 300 years
JOHANNESBURG — A big pink diamond of 170 carats has been discovered in Angola and is claimed to be the largest such gemstone found in 300 years. Called the “Lulo Rose,” the diamond was found at the Lulo alluvial diamond mine, the mine’s owner, the Lucapa Diamond Company, announced Wednesday...
U.S. rocket system enables Ukraine to pummel key supply bridge
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian troops used American-supplied precision rocket launchers to knock out a vital bridge used by Russia to supply its forces in an occupied region of southern Ukraine, officials said Wednesday. The Antonivskyi Bridge over the Dnieper River was attacked late Tuesday, according to Kirill Stremousov, deputy head...
AR-15 style guns have brought in over $1 billion in 10 years
WASHINGTON — Gun manufacturers have made more than $1 billion from selling AR-15-style guns over the past decade, and for two companies those revenues have tripled over the past three years, according to a House investigation unveiled Wednesday. Those profits have come as the weapons have been used in mass...
Biden tests negative for covid, ends ‘strict isolation’
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is ending his covid-19 isolation after testing negative for the virus on Tuesday night and again on Wednesday. That’s according to a letter the White House released Wednesday from Biden’s physician. Dr. Kevin O’Connor writes that Biden has completed his course of treatment with the...
Germany offers money to families of ’72 Olympic attack victims
BERLIN — The German government indicated Wednesday that it was willing to pay further compensation to the families of 11 Israeli athletes killed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich by a Palestinian group. Family members of the athletes have criticized the proposed amount as “insulting.” Relatives of the athletes...
Fed set to impose another big rate hike to fight inflation
WASHINGTON — With inflation at a four-decade high, the job market strong and consumers still spending, the Federal Reserve is under pressure to continue raising interest rates aggressively. When it ends its latest policy meeting Wednesday afternoon, the Fed is expected to impose a second consecutive three-quarter-point hike in its...
Griner testifies at Russia drug trial about interrogation
KHIMKI, Russia — The drug trial of American basketball star Brittney Griner resumed Wednesday in a Russian court with Griner testifying that a language interpreter provided during her questioning translated only a fraction of what was said. Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February. She acknowledged in court...
U.S. military making plans in case Pelosi travels to Taiwan
SYDNEY — U.S. officials say they have little fear that China would attack Nancy Pelosi’s plane if she flies to Taiwan. But the U.S. House speaker would be entering one of the world’s hottest spots, where a mishap, misstep or misunderstanding could endanger her safety. So the Pentagon is developing...
Thousands of North Carolina felons can now register and vote
RALEIGH, N.C. — Tens of thousands of people serving punishments for felony convictions in North Carolina but who aren’t behind bars can now register to vote and cast ballots following an appeals court ruling. Expanding the scope of those able to register and vote began on Wednesday, the State Board...
No Mega Millions winner; jackpot now over $1 billion
DES MOINES, Iowa — A giant Mega Millions lottery jackpot ballooned to $1.02 billion after no one matched all six numbers Tuesday night and won the top prize. The new estimated jackpot will be the nation’s fourth-largest lottery prize. The jackpot has grown so large because no one has matched...
