U.S./World category, Page 936
Huge fire breaks out at Beirut port a month after explosion
BEIRUT — A huge fire broke out at Beirut’s port Thursday, raising new panic among residents still struggling with the traumatic effects of the catastrophic explosion at the same site last month. Some sought safety in closed bathrooms or threw open their windows to guard against shattering glass in case...
U.S. layoffs remain elevated as 884,000 seek jobless aid
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits was unchanged last week at 884,000, a sign that layoffs are stuck at a historically high level six months after the viral pandemic flattened the economy. The latest figure released by the Labor Department Thursday still far exceeds the number...
Texas fugitive wanted in Georgia deputy shooting captured
DALTON, Ga. — A Texas fugitive who fled into the woods in Georgia after shooting at an officer who pulled him over has been captured, authorities said. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation tweeted that Dalton Potter was in custody after authorities surrounded him late Wednesday following another shooting outside the...
California wildfires growing bigger, moving faster than ever
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — When it comes to California wildfires, it now takes days, not decades, to produce what had been seen as a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. Last weekend, a fire burning in California’s Sierra National Forest exploded in size, trapping hundreds of Labor Day holiday campers who could only be rescued...
New York gynecologist indicted on federal charges of sexually assaulting patientsVideo
NEW YORK — A former New York gynecologist accused of sexually abusing dozens of patients, including the wife of former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, was charged Wednesday with attacking girls and women for nearly two decades using the cover of medical examinations. Prosecutors described the doctor, Robert A. Hadden,...
Utah police vow to work with probe of shooting of autistic boy
SALT LAKE CITY — A police department vowed to cooperate with multiple investigations of the shooting of a 13-year-old autistic boy by officers in the Salt Lake City area. The Salt Lake City Police Department said the officers were called to a home Friday night in Glendale, Utah with a...
Official claims pressure to alter Homeland Security intel to play down threats from Russia
WASHINGTON — An official at the Department of Homeland Security said in a whistle-blower complaint released Wednesday that he was pressured by agency leaders to suppress details in his intelligence reports that President Donald Trump might find objectionable, including intelligence on Russian interference in the election and the threat posed...
Apocalyptic-looking sky hovers over California, Oregon amid uncontrolled wildfiresVideo
Skies above California and Oregon have turned an apocalyptic fiery orange. Massive wildfires fueled by high winds and dry conditions have scorched more than 2.3 million acres across the Western U.S., leaving firefighters scrambling to contain them and residents evacuating the region. A search for “San Francisco sky” on Twitter...
U.S. withdrawing thousands of troops from Iraq, Afghanistan
WASHINGTON — The United States will pull thousands of troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan by November, the top American commander for the Middle East said Wednesday, as President Donald Trump tries to make good on his campaign promise to get America out of “endless wars.” During a visit to...
Trump nominated for Nobel Peace Prize by Norwegian lawmaker
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — A far-right Norwegian lawmaker said Wednesday that he has nominated President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in the Middle East. Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the Norwegian Parliament for the far-right Progress Party, said Trump should be considered because of his work...
Greece: Fire sweeps through refugee camp on virus lockdown
A major fire swept through a notoriously overcrowded refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos early Wednesday, burning through container housing and leaving thousands of people in need of emergency shelter. Complicating matters, the Moria camp was under a coronavirus lockdown from an outbreak there when flames gutted much...
Richmond bans guns on public property during protests
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia’s capital city has adopted a law banning guns on public property during protests and other events. The Richmond City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt the ordinance, which is aimed at preventing violent confrontations during demonstrations against racial inequality that have continued to take place across...
California wildfire explodes, burning across 25 miles in dayVideo
SHAVER LAKE, Calif. — A Northern California wildfire burning for more than three weeks roared to life after being stoked by high winds, spreading at a ferocious rate across an estimated 25 miles of mountainous terrain and parched foothills and destroying an untold number of homes. As thick smoke choked...
Hobby Lobby faces calls for boycott over pro-Trump store display
Calls for a consumer boycott are being heard after a Hobby Lobby store was photographed with a pro-Trump display in one of its buildings. The image, originally posted to Twitter of the undetermined location arts-and-crafts store, showed “USA vote Trump” in decorative letters at the end of an aisle. Twitter...
Trump plans to announce new troop reductions in Iraq
WASHINGTON — President Trump plans to announce further U.S. troop reductions in Iraq on Wednesday, an administration official said late Tuesday night. It was not immediately clear how many military personnel would be affected and when their withdrawal might begin. About 5,200 U.S. troops remain in the country. After sending...
Shark kills surfer on Australia’s Gold Coast tourist stripVideo
CANBERRA, Australia — A shark fatally mauled a surfer Tuesday on Australia’s Gold Coast city tourist strip in a rare attack off a beach protected by shark netting, officials said. The man, aged in his 50s, was was brought to shore by fellow surfers and lifeguards at popular Greenmount Beach...
From heat to snow: Rocky Mountains see 60-degree plungeVideo
Summer came to an abrupt halt in parts of the Rocky Mountains on Tuesday as temperatures reaching into the 90s plunged by around 60 degrees in less than 24 hours, with a powerful surge of cold air from Canada unleashing snow and damaging winds in several states. The roller coaster...
Greece to boost military amid tensions with neighbor TurkeyVideo
ATHENS, Greece — Greece will bolster its military with new arms, more personnel and by developing the country’s defense industry, the government said Monday, as a tense standoff with neighboring Turkey has led to concerns of open conflict between the two NATO allies. Ankara is facing off against Greece and...
Trump the environmentalist? President expands ban on new offshore drilling sites in Atlantic
JUPITER, Fla. — President Donald Trump sought to claim the mantle of environmental steward on Tuesday as he announced an expansion of a ban on offshore drilling and highlighted conservation projects in Florida. But his administration has overturned or weakened numerous regulations meant to protect air and water quality and...
Rochester police leaders retire in wake of calls for change
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Top police leaders in New York’s third-largest city are retiring en masse amid criticism of the city’s handling of the suffocation death of Daniel Prude, the mayor of Rochester said Tuesday. La’Ron Singletary, the city’s police chief, is among those retiring, as is Deputy Chief Joseph M....
Girl, 8, among 10 dead in Chicago’s holiday weekend gunfireVideo
CHICAGO — An 8-year-old girl shot in the back was among 10 people killed in gunfire over the Labor Day weekend, police said Tuesday, marking the latest deadly holiday weekend in Chicago. More than 50 people were shot from Friday until just before midnight Tuesday during a year where violent...
Bill would give Black WWII medic posthumous Medal of Honor
Waverly B. Woodson Jr., a Black army medic who saved dozens of wounded troops on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day despite being severely wounded himself, deserves the Medal of Honor, said members of Congress on Tuesday as they announced legislation to posthumously award it to him. Cpl. Woodson nearly...
Census Bureau stops layoffs for door knockers after order
ORLANDO, Fla. — Two days after a federal judge ordered the U.S. Census Bureau to stop winding down 2020 census operations for the time being, the statistical agency said Tuesday in court papers that it’s refraining from laying off some census takers and it’s restoring some quality-control steps. The Census...
Mitch McConnell: Senate to vote on ‘targeted’ virus aid
WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, under pressure from GOP senators in tough reelection races, said Tuesday the Senate would vote on a trimmed-down Republican coronavirus relief package, though it has a slim chance of passage in the face of Democrats’ insistence for more sweeping aid. “The Senate Republican...
Philippine leader pardons U.S. Marine in transgender killingVideo
MANILA — The Philippine president pardoned a U.S. Marine on Monday in a surprise move that will free him from imprisonment in the killing of a transgender Filipino woman that sparked anger in the former American colony. President Rodrigo Duterte said he decided to pardon Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton...
