U.S./World category, Page 852
U.N. experts: Erik Prince, UAE firms violated Libya sanctions
UNITED NATIONS — American security contractor Erik Prince, a close ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump, violated the U.N. arms embargo against Libya along with three United Arab Emirates-based companies and their top managers during an operation to help a rebel military commander take the capital Tripoli, U.N. experts...
After long wait, New Jersey moves ahead on recreational potVideo
TRENTON, N.J. — A recreational marijuana marketplace, cannabis decriminalization and looser penalties for underage possession of the drug and alcohol became law Monday in New Jersey, more than three months after voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot question to legalize adult use of the drug. Acknowledging that the legislation took much...
Dominion Voting Systems sues ‘MyPillow Guy’ for $1.3 billionVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — Dominion Voting Systems filed a $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit Monday against the founder and CEO of Minnesota-based MyPillow, saying that Mike Lindell falsely accused the company of rigging the 2020 presidential election. The lawsuit filed in federal court in the District of Columbia alleges that Lindell ignored repeated...
Police say N.Y. man killed by exploding gender reveal device
LIBERTY, N.Y. — An expectant father was killed when a device he was building for a gender reveal party exploded, police in New York said Monday. Christopher Pekny, 28, was assembling a device for his child’s gender reveal party in the Catskills town of Liberty when it exploded just before...
2 giraffes in Kenya park electrocuted by power linesVideo
NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenya’s wildlife agency says two giraffes were electrocuted Sunday when they walked into low-lying electric power transmission lines that pass through the Soysambu Conservancy in western Kenya. Trizer Mwakinya, head of communications at the Kenya Wildlife Service, said Monday that workers from the Kenya Power and Lighting...
Repeal of Virginia’s death penalty headed to governor’s desk
RICHMOND, Va. — State lawmakers gave final approval Monday to a bill that will end capital punishment in Virginia, a dramatic turnaround for a state that has executed more people in its history than any other. The legislation repealing the death penalty now heads to Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam, who...
Court to take up Trump immigration, abortion referral rules
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court said Monday it will take up challenges to controversial Trump administration policies affecting family-planning clinics and immigrants, even though the Biden administration has announced it is reviewing them. The justices agreed to hear appeals over the Trump policy that keeps taxpayer-funded clinics from referring women...
Customs inspectors find cocaine-coated corn flakes in Ohio
CINCINNATI, Ohio — Customs authorities in Ohio say they intercepted a shipment of cereal earlier this month with a special frosting — cocaine. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Cincinnati reported finding 44 pounds of cocaine-coated cornflakes that had been shipped from South America to a Hong Kong home....
Bone cancer survivor to join billionaire on SpaceX flight
After beating bone cancer, Hayley Arceneaux figures rocketing into orbit on SpaceX’s first private flight should be a piece of cosmic cake. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital announced Monday that the 29-year-old physician assistant — a former patient hired last spring — will launch later this year alongside a billionaire...
139-year-old house rolls to new San Francisco address
After 139 years at 807 Franklin St. in San Francisco, a two-story Victorian house has a new address. The green home with large windows and a brown front door was loaded onto giant dollies and moved Sunday to a location six blocks away. Onlookers lined the sidewalks to snap photos...
Alaska woman using outhouse attacked by bear, from below
An Alaska woman had the scare of a lifetime when using an outhouse in the backcountry and she was attacked by a bear, from below. “I got out there and sat down on the toilet and immediately something bit my butt right as I sat down,” Shannon Stevens told The...
Boeing: 777s with engine that blew apart should be grounded
Boeing has recommended that airlines ground all 777s with the type of engine that blew apart after takeoff from Denver this weekend, and most carriers that fly those planes said they would temporarily pull them from service. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration ordered United Airlines to step up inspections of...
Scotland vaccinations lead to sharp drop in covid hospitalizations
Scotland’s covid-19 vaccination program has led to a sharp drop in hospitalizations, researchers said Monday, boosting hopes that the shots will work as well in the real world as they have in carefully controlled studies. The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine reduced hospital admissions by up to 94% four weeks after people received...
National Spelling Bee to return in mostly virtual format
The Scripps National Spelling Bee will return this year in a mostly virtual format, with the in-person competition limited to a dozen finalists who will gather on an ESPN campus at Walt Disney World in Florida, Scripps announced Monday. Last year’s bee was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, the...
William says hospitalized grandfather Prince Philip is ‘OK’
LONDON — Prince William said Monday that his grandfather, Prince Philip, is “OK” as the 99-year-old royal consort remains under in a hospital for rest and observation. William was asked about Philip when he visited a coronavirus vaccination center in eastern England. “Yes, he’s OK, they’re keeping an eye on...
Biden to boost pandemic lending to smallest businesses
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is targeting federal pandemic assistance to the nation’s smallest businesses and taking steps to further equity in what is known as the Paycheck Protection Program. The administration is establishing a two-week window, starting on Wednesday, in which only businesses with fewer than 20 employees —...
China urges U.S. to lift trade restrictions, stop interference
BEIJING — China’s top diplomat called Monday for new U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration to lift restrictions on trade and people-to-people contacts while ceasing what Beijing considers unwarranted interference in the areas of Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet. Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s comments at a Foreign Ministry forum on...
Italian ambassador killed in Congo while in UN convoy
KINSHASA, Congo — The Italian ambassador to Congo and an Italian carabineri police officer were killed Monday during an attack on a U.N. convoy in an area that is home to myriad rebel groups, the Foreign Ministry and local people said. The ambush on the World Food Program convoy that...
Filing: Proud Boys member considering plea in Capitol breach
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A Rochester man identified as a member of the Proud Boys who allegedly smashed a window at the Capitol on Jan. 6 to allow rioters inside is considering a guilty plea, according to a recent court filing. A recent filing by Dominic Pezzola’s attorney said Pezzola accepts...
Officer shot at Arkansas McDonald’s; Pennsylvania kidnapping suspect dies
LONOKE, Ark. — An Arkansas police officer was hospitalized in stable condition Sunday after being shot during a confrontation at a McDonald’s restaurant with a Pennsylvania man who was kidnapping a 14-year-old North Carolina girl, authorities said. The suspect died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after fleeing from authorities,...
Tens of thousands still without power across Kentucky, West Virginia
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Some residents in Kentucky and West Virginia could be spending several more days without power as crews work to fix broken utility poles and downed lines from an ice storm. Appalachian Power said about 39,000 customers in southern West Virginia were without electricity Sunday. Some homes have...
Oath Keeper claims she met with Secret Service before Capitol riots
A member of the far-right Oath Keepers charged with rioting at the U.S. Capitol met with Secret Service agents before the siege and received a VIP pass to the rally where then-President Donald Trump spoke, according to a court filing. A defense attorney for Jessica Watkins said in Saturday’s filing...
1 dead, 4 injured in shooting at American Legion in Missouri
KENNETT, Mo. — One person died and four others were wounded in an overnight shooting at an American Legion club in southeast Missouri, police said Sunday. KAIT-TV reported that officers found the five victims at the American Legion building in Kennett following the report of the shooting before 12:30 a.m....
Power failure: How a winter storm pushed Texas into crisis
HOUSTON — Two days before the storm began, Houston’s chief elected official warned her constituents to prepare as they would for a major hurricane. Many took heed: Texans who could stocked up on food and water, while nonprofits and government agencies set out to help those who couldn’t. But few...
Sheriff: 3 dead in gun store shooting in New Orleans suburb
METAIRIE, La. — A person went into a gun store and shooting range in a New Orleans suburb and fatally shot two people Saturday, causing customers and staff to open fire on the shooter, said a sheriff. The shooter also died. The shooting happened at the Jefferson Gun Outlet in...
