WorldAssociated PressIran names suspect in Natanz attack, says he fled country
Iran named a suspect Saturday in the attack on its Natanz nuclear facility that damaged centrifuges there, saying he had fled the country “hours before” the sabotage happened. While the extent of the damage from the April 11 sabotage remains unclear, it comes as Iran tries to negotiate with world powers over allowing the U.S. to re-enter its tattered nuclear deal and lift the economic sanctions it faces. Already, Iran has begun enriching uranium up to 60% purity in response — three times higher than ever before, though in small quantities.
WorldBBCJimmy Lai: Hong Kong's rebel mogul and pro-democracy voice
The billionaire media mogul Jimmy Lai is one of the most prominent supporters of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement. Mr Lai was 12 years old when he fled his village in mainland China, arriving in Hong Kong as a stowaway on a fishing boat. Like a number of the city's famed tycoons, he went from a menial role, toiling in a Hong Kong sweatshop, to founding a multi-million dollar empire.
WorldThe TelegraphPro-UK parties could stop an independence majority at Holyrood, claims Lib Dem leader
Pro-UK parties could yet stop an independence majority at Holyrood because even “hardline” SNP voters are unsure about Nicola Sturgeon's mid-pandemic push for a new referendum, the Lib Dem leader has claimed. Launching his party's manifesto, Willie Rennie said the SNP vote was “softer than I've ever seen it” in the current campaign and insisted it was “all to play for”. He predicted that momentum could rapidly swing away from the nationalists in the final weeks of the campaign, despite opinion polls currently suggesting a pro-independence majority after May 6 is a near certainty.
WorldAxiosSuper Typhoon Surigae rapidly intensifies to a Cat. 5 near Philippines
Super Typhoon Surigae surged in intensity from a Category 1 storm on Friday to a beastly Category 5 monster on Saturday, with maximum sustained winds estimated at 180 mph with higher gusts. Why it matters: This storm — known as Typhoon Bising in the Philippines — is just the latest of many tropical cyclones to undergo a process known as rapid intensification, a feat that studies show is becoming more common due to climate change. The storm appears destined to recurve out to sea just northeast of the Philippines, sparing the disaster-prone country from its worst impacts, but it will bring heavy rains, high seas and gusty winds to some areas.
- WorldAssociated Press
China calls for closer cooperation on climate change
Chinese President Xi Jinping called Friday for closer cooperation on combating global change as he held a video meeting with the leaders of Germany and France, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. The talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel came in advance of a climate change meeting called by U.S. President Joe Biden for next week. Xi said climate change “should not become a geopolitical chip, a target for attacking other countries or an excuse for trade barriers,” Xinhua quoted the Chinese president as saying.
U.S.Miami HeraldTwo men are dead, two women are injured after an early morning crash in Miami Beach
Two men are dead and two women are hospitalized after their SUV crashed into one of the towering trees along Miami Beach's Pine Tree Drive. According to Miami Beach police, the car was involved in a crash around 5:45 a.m. Saturday along the 3100 block of Pine Tree Drive.
- NewsKFSN – Fresno
Clovis police searching for shooting suspect
Clovis police are searching for 36-year-old Troy Clowers, who they say shot his sister's girlfriend at her Harlan Ranch home during an argument on Thursday night.
PoliticsAssociated PressLawyers: DOJ defense in Trump defamation suit is 'dangerous'
The U.S. Justice Department made a “wrong and dangerous” argument in seeking to defend former President Donald Trump against a former advice columnist's claim that he defamed her when he denied her allegation of rape, her lawyers have told a court. During Trump's presidency, the Justice Department sought to make the United States, not him personally, the defendant in E. Jean Carroll's lawsuit — a move that would put U.S. taxpayers on the hook if she got a payout in the case. The Justice Department has argued that the statements he made about Carroll, including that she was “totally lying” to sell a memoir and that “she's not my type," fell within the scope of his job as president.
ScienceBBCPhilippines: Giant clam shells worth $25m seized in raid
Around 200 tonnes of illegally harvested giant clam shells worth nearly $25 million (£18 million) have been seized in the Philippines. The seizure is one of the largest ever hauls of the endangered species. Four suspects have been arrested on an island in the ecologically protected province of Palawan.
U.S.Associated PressAs mask mandates end, Oregon bucks trend with permanent rule
As states around the country lift COVID-19 restrictions, Oregon is poised to go the opposite direction — and many residents are fuming about it. A top health official is considering indefinitely extending rules requiring masks and social distancing in all businesses in the state. The proposal would keep the rules in place until they are “no longer necessary to address the effects of the pandemic in the workplace.”
CelebrityThe TelegraphNo uniforms, but Royal family show military ties with medals at Prince Philip's funeral
The Queen decreed that the men should wear morning suits with black ties and the women day dresses amid concerns that the Duke of Sussex could have ended up being the only senior royal not in uniform after relinquishing his royal and military ties last year. The Duke of York had also sparked ructions by demanding to go dressed as an Admiral, despite his promotion to that rank in the Royal Navy being deferred after he stepped down from public duties in November 2019 over his relationship with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The Duke of Kent, 85 – the oldest member of the Royal family taking part in the walking procession – wore, among his other medals, the King George Coronation Medal, while those present for the Queen's Coronation in 1953, including the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal and the Duke of Gloucester, wore the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.
U.S.The New York TimesWhy Police Can Stop Motorists With Air Fresheners Hanging in Their Cars
In places where air fresheners have been treated as a primary offense, the traffic stops have faced legal challenges with various outcomes. On an April evening in 2008, Benjamin Garcia-Garcia was driving a minivan along Interstate 55 near Springfield, Illinois, when a state trooper who had been parked in the median moved onto the freeway and pulled him over. According to court records, the trooper claimed he had seen the pink air freshener hanging from Garcia-Garcia's mirror and believed it violated the state statute prohibiting objects that could obstruct the driver's view.
WorldThe IndependentUS exit from Afghanistan before peace is in place is causing alarm on the ground
The United States' decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan comes before any peace has been established for the country. President Joe Biden announced solemnly on Wednesday that the US would withdraw all of its troops from the mountainous, war-torn country after nearly 20 years by 11 September, ending America's longest war. “We cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan, hoping to create ideal conditions for the draw and expecting a different result.”
U.S.The StateCOVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in South Carolina on April 17
At least 474,358 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in South Carolina and 8,195 have died since March 2020, according to state health officials. The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Friday reported 847 new COVID-19 cases, up from 589 the day before. More than 2.5 million COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered in South Carolina, and more than 1 million people in the state had “completed vaccination” as of Wednesday.
EntertainmentRaleigh News and ObserverWhat to Watch Saturday: A new TD Jakes movie on Lifetime and a killer doc on Oxygen
The Murders at the Boarding House (7 p.m. Oxygen) - Oxygen closes out Serial Killer Week with this two-night special on Dorothea Puente, starting with Part 1 tonight. In Part 1, the Sacramento Police Department receives a missing person's report from a concerned social worker and send Detective John Cabrera to the boarding house where the individual was last seen.
U.S.Charlotte ObserverCatawba Indians declared victor in NC casino court fight, clearing way for construction
The Catawba Indian Nation said a federal court has ruled in its favor in a lawsuit that tried to stop its planned North Carolina casino. In a Facebook post Friday evening, tribal leaders said they “were excited to announce” that they'd “just received word” of the court victory. The lawsuit brought by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians was the final major hurdle to the Catawbas' opening their $273 million Two Kings Casino Resort off Interstate 85 in Kings Mountain, tribal leaders have said.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderRepublican lawmakers condemned pro-Trump caucus emphasizing 'Anglo-Saxon political traditions,' said GOP is not about 'nativism'
GOP lawmakers are reportedly starting a caucus that emphasizes "Anglo-Saxon political traditions." Other Republicans came out against it, with Rep. Adam Kinzinger saying members should be punished. Reps. Kevin McCarthy and Liz Cheney also post came forward to condemn "nativism" in the GOP.
LifestyleArchitectural DigestThe 9 Best Wireless Headphones for Every Kind of Use
From the most comfortable pair to the best value buy, these headphones will carry you through the spring, summer, and beyond Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
U.S.The IndependentPolice identify Indianapolis shooter as former FedEx employee 19-year-old Brandon Scott Hole
Police have named Brandon Scott Hole, 19, of Indiana, as the alleged shooter who opened fire at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis that left at least eight people dead and several more injured, according to reports. Special agent in charge of the Indianapolis field office, Paul Keenan, told NBC News the suspect's home was being searched by the FBI. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department's deputy chief of criminal investigations, Craig McCartt, said during a news conference that the suspect began shooting “randomly” after arriving at the FedEx facility on Thursday night.
CelebrityThe TelegraphWhy the Queen chose loyal lady-in-waiting, Lady Susan Hussey, for her loneliest journey
The Queen had personally asked Lady Susan to join her for the journey, as she prepared to say farewell to her husband of 73 years. One of a close inner circle of ladies-in-waiting, Lady Susan has been by the Queen's side since the birth of Prince Andrew, when she joined the royal household to help answer a flood of letters. Known affectionately as 'Number One Head Girl' in an office once likened to the cheery atmosphere of a girls' school common room, she has been described as one of the key trusted figures helping the Queen in her later life.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderLauren Boebert says adding Supreme Court judges is an 'act of political terrorism'
Rep. Lauren Boebert said adding Supreme Court justices was "political terrorism." The Republican lawmaker criticized a move by House Democrats to add four judges to the bench. This comes weeks after she tweeted her support of guns right after the King Soopers mass shooting.
SportsAssociated PressShcherbakova seals Russia's first World Team Trophy victory
World champion Anna Shcherbakova won the women's free skate on Saturday to seal Russia's first-ever victory at the figure skating World Team Trophy. First after the short program, the 17-year-old Shcherbakova opened with a quadruple flip and followed with a triple flip-triple toe loop combination en route to a score of 160.58 points. Japan's Kaori Sakamoto moved up to second place with 150.29 points after an impressive Matrix routine that included five triple jumps.
CelebrityArchitectural DigestOur 9 Favorite Items From Jessica Alba’s Affordable Office Makeover
In a new YouTube video, the star shows how she decorated a space using all Amazon products Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
PoliticsBusiness InsiderTrump rape accuser adds to former president's legal woes by asking court to keep defamation lawsuit alive
In 2020, E. Jean Carroll published an account accusing Trump of raping her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the mid-1990s. The former Elle columnist sued Trump for defamation after he made comments denying sexually assaulting her. A judge ruled that Trump was not acting in a presidential capacity when he made the comments.
WorldThe IndependentCNN crew member collapses as Daunte Wright protesters pelt reporters with bottle and eggs
A CNN news crew was chased away from demonstrations over the police shooting of Daunte Wright after one was hit in the head and others were struck by eggs. Seconds after one of the TV crew told the crowd "it's all peace", a water bottle was thrown at the head of another man who stumbled and fell backwards onto the street curb. Protesters just chased the entire CNN crew away from the police precinct.
“There’s no ‘both sides of the debate’ when it comes to active voter suppression.”
“Companies that do this ooze contempt for their own customers and employees who are not in the leftmost quarter of opinion.”
“The truth is that Fortune 500 companies were never taking moral stances from the goodness of their corporate hearts.”
“The truth is, the companies hold the cards…If companies stick to their guns, Georgia is likely to back down as well.”
“When a company folds to the unfounded outrage of a few misinformed nuts, they are forever at the mob’s beck-and-call.”