PoliticsThe Telegraph'Mr President?': Biden and Putin suffer awkward silence in climate summit technical glitch
A technical glitch at the climate summit meant Joe Biden was left hanging for nearly 90 seconds by his political nemesis Vladimir Putin. "I now turn the floor to the President of the Russian Federation," announced Tony Blinken, the US secretary of state. Instead, Mr Putin loomed silently on a giant screen above Mr Biden, Mr Binken and John Kerry, the US climate tsar.
WorldAssociated PressIsrael says Syrian missile was not aimed at nuclear reactor
The Israeli military said Thursday that a Syrian missile that reached deep into Israeli territory and set off air raid sirens near the country's top-secret nuclear reactor was the result of a misfire and not a deliberate attack. The missile landed in southern Israel early Thursday, prompting Israel to respond with airstrikes on the missile launcher and other targets in Syria. The army's chief spokesman, Brig. Gen. Hidai Zilberman, was quoted as telling military correspondents that the Israeli air force was already operating in Syrian airspace when the anti-aircraft missile was fired.
U.S.Fort Worth Star-TelegramTeen viciously beaten because he identified suspect in Fort Worth holdup, mother says
I am being told despite my son positively identifying this man via the snap video he posted _ that they don't have enough and don't know who the other 3 boys are,” McOmber said in a Facebook post. As his mother, you can probably imagine how hard this is. McOmber took to Facebook after waiting more than two weeks for arrests in the case, but no one was in custody for the assault on her son, who suffered a concussion, a broken nose, two black eyes and contusions across his arms and legs, she said.
U.S.The WeekJoe Manchin lives on a boat in Washington — and protesters are reportedly headed there
Protesters evidently want all hands on deck in the push to make Washington, D.C. a state, and they're now headed to Sen. Joe Manchin's (D-W.Va.) nautical home. Advocates for D.C. statehood are planning a protest on Thursday, Politico reported, and they'll be gathering at Manchin's house ... boat. "Yes," Politico writes for those unfamiliar, "[Manchin] lives on a boat docked in the harbor when he's in Washington."
U.S.Associated PressEx-officer who killed Rayshard Brooks wants his job back
A former Atlanta police officer's attorney said Thursday that his client didn't get a chance to defend himself before he was fired for fatally shooting Rayshard Brooks, a Black man who had been running away from two white officers after he resisted arrest and fired a stun gun at one of them. Officer Garrett Rolfe was dismissed “without a proper investigation” by the city on June 13, one day after Brooks' death, Rolfe's attorney, Lance LoRusso, told the city's civil service board as he argued for his client's reinstatement to the force, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The encounter outside a Wendy's restaurant last year started calmly but rapidly spun out of control when Atlanta police tried to handcuff and arrest Brooks, 27, for suspected DUI.
WorldThe TelegraphForeign aid destined for China will be diverted to fighting human rights abuses
Chinese foreign aid will be devoted to fighting human rights abuses in Xinjiang, Dominic Raab has said. It comes after the Government was criticised last year for funding schemes to China including a photography project to understand the country's past, syphilis tests for gay men and improving cancer screening in rural areas. The Foreign Secretary told the International Development Committee that he had cut China's Official Development Assistance by 95 per cent.
U.S.Raleigh News and ObserverChatham man freed in 1975 murder can have DNA evidence used against him in new one
Willie Womble walked free in 2014 after nearly 40 years in prison, cleared for a convenience store robbery and murder he didn't commit. Now 67, Womble faces new charges in a Chatham County slaying, in which a 54-year-old Pittsboro woman was found stabbed to death with a pair of scissors. Womble faced a setback this week when the NC Court of Appeals ruled a lower court erred by suppressing DNA evidence found at the scene.
WorldAssociated PressWorries grow about Indonesian sub's crew as oxygen dwindles
Rescuers continued an urgent search Friday for an Indonesian submarine that disappeared two days ago and has less than a day's supply of oxygen left for its 53 crew. The KRI Nanggala 402 went missing after its last reported dive Wednesday off the resort island of Bali, and concern is mounting the submarine may have sunk in waters too deep to reach or recover. President Joko Widodo has asked all Indonesian people to pray for the crew's safe return, while ordering all-out efforts to locate the stricken submarine.
WorldThe Telegraph‘It’s equal to being dead’: Women fear Taliban’s return as US troop withdrawal nears
On a warm spring afternoon, the coffee shops and outdoor restaurants in Kabul are usually crammed full of young people. It is a far cry from how the city was under Taliban rule in the late 90s – here, women and men can mingle, chat, even go on dates. Many fear that the Taliban will gain power and that the country could once again be flung into civil war with many of its warlords still vying for power.
BusinessReutersCiti to pay NY mayor candidate and former executive McGuire over $5.7 million
Former Wall Street executive and Democratic candidate for mayor of New York Ray McGuire will receive more than $5.7 million from Citigroup Inc as part of a bonus program, according to his annual financial disclosure report. McGuire was one of the senior-most Black executives on Wall Street till he left Citi last year after 15 years in various roles to join the mayor's race. "Under our regular annual bonus program, a large portion of compensation earned by an employee each year is not paid when earned, but rather is delivered over a four-year period," a spokeswoman for Citi said on Thursday.
U.S.INSIDEROther ex-officers charged in George Floyd's killing are 'almost 100 percent' going to plead guilty after Derek Chauvin's conviction, experts say
The three remaining former officers charged in George Floyd's death are awaiting trial in August. The officers will want to avoid going to a jury trial, criminal justice experts tell Insider. Experts say the officers are likely to take a plea deal if offered, or ask for a bench trial.
- WorldYahoo News Video
Report: Missing girl Kristin Smart was once buried in suspect's father's backyard
A California college student missing for nearly 25 years was once buried in the backyard of the home owned by the murder suspect's father, authorities said in a court document.
WorldAssociated PressCzechs expel more Russians in dispute over 2014 depot blast
The Czech Republic on Thursday ordered 63 more Russian diplomats to leave the country, further escalating a dispute between the two nations over the alleged involvement of Russian spies in a massive ammunition depot explosion in 2014. Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhanek said Russia won't be allowed to have more diplomats in Prague than the Czechs currently have at their embassy in Moscow. All others have to leave by the end of May, he said.
WorldArchitectural DigestBookmark These 11 Places on HipCamp for Your Next Outdoor Retreat
A WiFi break? Yes, please Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
U.S.Miami HeraldFlorida will start school days with a moment of silence if DeSantis signs the bill
Florida public school students might soon have a required moment of silence at the start of each day under a measure passed Thursday by the Florida Senate and headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis' desk. Under the measure, school principals would be required to direct first-period teachers to institute a one- to two-minute moment of silence at the beginning of each day. Under the bill, teachers would not be able to “make suggestions as to the nature of any reflection that a student may engage in during the moment of silence,” and students “may not interfere with other students' participation.”
HealthReutersBritish regulator says AstraZeneca COVID shot clots rise to 168
Britain's medicines regulator on Thursday said there had been 168 major blood clots following a dose of COVID-19 vaccine, a rate of 7.9 clots per million doses, a jump in incidence from the previous week's figure. This was up from the 100 cases reported last week, when the overall case incidence was 4.9 per million doses. There has been scrutiny of the AstraZeneca vaccine on the issue of the very rare clots and some countries, including Britain, have recommended that only people over a certain age get the shot.
U.S.Business InsiderA Virginia GOP candidate for governor said Derek Chauvin's guilty verdict 'makes me feel sick'
A GOP candidate for Virginia governor said Derek Chauvin's guilty verdict made her feel sick. State Senator Amanda Freeman Chase made the comments at a campaign event Tuesday. The self-described "Trump in heels" touted her ultra-conservative values at the event.
BusinessAssociated PressLegalization bids boost outlook for US cannabis industry
Uncle Sam gave marijuana lovers more reason to celebrate this week as a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the House of Representatives passed a bill that would make it easier for cannabis companies to do business in states where sales are legal. The vote on the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act took place a day before April 20 — or 4/20 — the unofficial holiday that commemorates all things marijuana. The cannabis industry is making strides in other ways as well.
U.S.Miami HeraldProbe stalled by Trump officials finds they created red tape for Puerto Rico relief funds
The Trump administration created bureaucratic hurdles that delayed Puerto Rico's access to about $20 billion in hurricane disaster recovery and mitigation funds, says an inspector general's report released Thursday that also concludes the federal government slowed down a probe into the matter. The investigation was opened in March 2019 at the request of Congress and evaluated how U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development policies and decisions affected the speed with which relief money was dispersed. The federal report found that multiple administrative obstacles stalled the process of delivering aid—including a federal government shutdown, as well as moves by officials to add new layers of oversight and decisions to revise the grant requirements Puerto Rico had to meet.
BusinessReutersAirlines look past slow recovery to post-pandemic travel
Even as new setbacks cloud their path to recovery, airline bosses are focusing on the lasting impact of COVID-19 on premium travel, technology and other pillars of their business. Drawing many top executives and thousands of participants, this week's event comes as doubts over the northern summer vacation season renew scrutiny of airlines' cash and their ability to withstand another washout. "There will be a lot of carriers that will not make it through," Air France-KLM Chief Executive Ben Smith said, citing nameless rivals that were "not viable prior to the crisis".
U.S.Associated PressSheriff: Deputy fatally shot Black man while serving warrant
A North Carolina deputy shot and killed a Black man while serving a search warrant Wednesday, authorities said, spurring an outcry from community members who demanded law enforcement accountability and the immediate release of body camera footage. Authorities wouldn't provide details of the shooting but an eyewitness said that Andrew Brown Jr. was shot while trying to drive away, and that deputies fired at him multiple times. The car skidded out of Brown's yard and eventually hit a tree, said Demetria Williams, who lives on the same street.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderRepublicans blew up after a Democratic congressman accused them of spreading 'racist trash' in a debate over giving Washington, DC, statehood
GOP lawmakers erupted after Rep. Mondaire Jones accused them of spreading "racist trash." The argument came as the House was debating a bill to grant statehood to Washington, DC. Jones withdrew his comment but said the GOP was scared its "white-supremacist politics" wouldn't work in DC.
ScienceReutersA black hole dubbed 'the Unicorn' may be galaxy's smallest one
Scientists have discovered what may be the smallest-known black hole in the Milky Way galaxy and the closest to our solar system - an object so curious that they nicknamed it 'the Unicorn. The researchers said the black hole is roughly three times the mass of our sun, testing the lower limits of size for these extraordinarily dense objects that possess gravitational pulls so strong not even light can escape. A luminous star called a red giant orbits with the black hole in a so-called binary star system named V723 Mon. The black hole is located about 1,500 light years - the distance light travels in a year, 5.9 trillion miles (9.5 trillion km) - from Earth.
- U.S.Associated Press
Bodies found in desert in 1980 ID’d as woman seeks parents
Authorities have finally identified the bodies of two homicide victims who were found buried in the Southern California desert in 1980 and linked to a man imprisoned for murder in Mississippi, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said. A chain of events that began with a woman using DNA to try to find her biological parents led to identification of the victims as Pamela Dianne Duffey, born in 1959, and William Everette Lane, born in 1960, a department statement said Wednesday. An archeologist found the bodies in a shallow grave in a remote area of the Mojave Desert a few miles east of the tiny community of Ludlow.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderRepublican House leader rejects George W. Bush's condemnation of the party as 'isolationist, protectionist' and 'nativist'
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy dismissed former President George W. Bush's recent condemnation of the GOP. Bush said his party had become "isolationist, protectionist, and to a certain extent nativist." McCarthy insisted Bush is wrong because the GOP has more House members who are women and people of color than ever before.
“High-speed rail is bold and attention-grabbing, but the scale of the project makes it near impossible.”
“While a long, slow train ride across the country can be a great thing, the US needs real high-speed rail too.”
“Liberals are right that America has a car problem — but it's commutes, not road trips, that suck.”
“Investments into a high-speed rail system wouldn’t just improve the railroads — automobile traffic could also see some relief.”
“Big cities that are reasonably close together is pretty much a prerequisite for high-speed rail.”