HealthYahoo NewsJohnson & Johnson 'pause' adds new wrinkle in Biden's vaccination plans
Just days after Johnson & Johnson announced that 15 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine had been contaminated at a Baltimore plant, federal officials recommended that states stop using that vaccine altogether, citing reports of blood clots. In a joint statement issued on Tuesday morning, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the agencies were acting “out of an abundance of caution,” noting that “adverse events appear to be extremely rare.” The lack of a clear understanding is why public health officials “need to pump the brakes and figure out what's going on,” said Dr. George Rutherford III, an epidemiologist at the University of California, San Francisco, in an email to Yahoo News.
WorldThe TelegraphYemeni model 'abducted from the street' by Houthi rebels after doing photoshoot without hijab
A Yemeni model who posed for photographs without wearing a hijab is facing prosecution by Houthi rebels who abducted her from the streets of Sanaa, the woman's lawyer has claimed. Entesar Al-Hammadi, 20, was arrested in the Yemeni capital in February with two friends as they travelled to a film set, according to Saudi media reports, which said the Houthis had accused her of violating Islamic dress codes. Khaled Mohammed Al-Kamal, Ms Hammadi's lawyer, told the news website Arab News that his client was “arrested without a warrant.”
WorldBBCChinese man kidnapped and killed in elaborate body-swap scheme
Before he died of cancer in 2017 a man from south-east China told his family he wanted a traditional burial, but in some regions these are banned. In September 2020 the man hired by the family - identified only by his surname Huang - was given a suspended death sentence over the murder. While the murder happened in 2017, the case only gained prominence last week after an article about the incident came to wider attention online in China.
WorldReutersFighting kills, injures nearly 1,800 Afghans in first three months of 2021: U.N.
Nearly 1,800 Afghan civilians were killed or wounded in the first three months of 2021 during fighting between government forces and Taliban insurgents despite efforts to find peace, the United Nations said in a new findings on Wednesday. Fighting has increased in several parts of Afghanistan in recent weeks while the peace process between both warring sides has made no progress despite international calls to reduce violence. It comes a crucial time for Afghanistan as President Joe Biden plans to withdraw the remaining 2,500 U.S. troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 2021, twenty years to the day after the al Qaeda attacks that triggered America's longest war.
U.S.The StateBody found in Mississippi River is missing LSU student Kori Gauthier, officials say
Kori Gauthier, a Louisiana State University freshman reported missing one week ago, was found dead. LSU officials confirmed Wednesday night that a body recently found in the Mississippi rRiver is Gauthier. “Since Kori was first reported missing, the LSU Police Department, Baton Rouge Police Department and other law enforcement agencies and volunteers have taken exhaustive measures to locate her and, in the process, to determine what led to her disappearance,” LSU Chief of Police Bart Thompson said in a statement.
U.S.TheGrioArmy sergeant pushes Black man, demands he leave neighborhood in viral video
A viral video of an army sergeant pushing a Black resident in South Carolina and demanding that he leaves the neighborhood has now resulted in criminal charges. Initially uploaded on Facebook on Monday, the three-minute clip has circulated various media channels before the aggressor was identified as Jonathan Pentland, a 42-year-old U.S. Army sergeant in Columbia, S.C. Pentland has since been charged with third-degree assault, Washington Post reports. In the video, Pentland pushes, threatens, and verbally assaults a black man and attempts to force him to leave the area.
PoliticsThe WeekMany GOP officials still privately hope prosecutors, some other outside force will make Trump go away
In 2015 and 2016, former President Donald Trump's Republican primary rivals and other GOP officials tried to dodge his withering personal insults "while hoping that external events and news media coverage would ultimately lead to his downfall," Maggie Haberman recalls at The New York Times. That strategy obviously failed. But many Republican leaders are once more hoping, mostly in private, that time or some heaven-sent deus ex machina makes Trump fade into retirement, despite his clear intention to retain control over the GOP.
WorldBBCDerek Chauvin trial: Use of force 'justified' says defence expert
A police officer was "justified" in pinning George Floyd to the ground before his death, says a use-of-force expert called by the defence team. Barry Brodd told the trial in Minnesota that Derek Chauvin - who denies murder - acted with "objective reasonableness" during the arrest last May. Video of Mr Chauvin kneeling on the neck of Mr Floyd led to worldwide protests against racism and policing.
WorldAssociated PressUS urges Lebanese leaders to break political impasse
A senior U.S. official on Wednesday berated Lebanese politicians for fighting over the formation of a new government for months while millions endure mounting economic hardship. David Hale, U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs, said America and the international community are ready to help, “but we can do nothing meaningful without a Lebanese partner.” Hale spoke on a two-day visit to Lebanon amid a monthslong political deadlock and dangerous rift between the president and prime minister-designate.
U.S.Kansas City StarMysterious goat appears in Death Valley National Park. That’s bad news, rangers say
A tourist at Death Valley spotted something within the park that shouldn't be there: a mysterious goat. The visitor reported seeing a domestic goat in a canyon near Stovepipe Wells within the park. The goat could be bad for native bighorn sheep and the park's ecosystem, rangers said Wednesday on Facebook.
U.S.BBCDaunte Wright shooting: Dozens arrested in fresh unrest in Minnesota
About 40 people were arrested just north of Minneapolis in a second night of unrest over the police shooting of a black man. Protesters in the city of Brooklyn Center defied a curfew and threw objects at police, who responded with flash grenades and tear gas. Police said Daunte Wright, 20, was shot and died after an officer mistook her gun for a Taser during a traffic stop.
- NewsAssociated Press Videos
Video shows shooting in Ohio hospital
Police body camera footage shows a routine police pat-down of a man in a hospital emergency room erupting within minutes into a fatal police shooting after the man apparently fires a gun he had concealed in his possession. (April 15)
CelebrityThe TelegraphW Galen Weston, retail tycoon behind Selfridges, dies aged 80
In our business and in his life he built a legacy of extraordinary accomplishment and joy,” his son, Galen G. Weston, chief executive officer of George Weston Limited, said. His daughter, Alannah Weston, the chairman of Selfridges Group, added: “The luxury retail industry has lost a great visionary. A friend of Prince Charles and lover of polo and art, Weston oversaw and expanded a high-end family retail empire that includes Selfridges, Canada's Holt Renfrew, Brown Thomas in Ireland and de Bijenkorf of the Netherlands.
WorldThe IndependentBiden to hit Russian officials with sanctions as tension rises with Putin
The United States is expected to announce sanctions on Russia for alleged election interference and a massive hacking campaign amidst mounting tensions between the two countries. The US government has said that the hack, which affected at least 100 private-sector businesses and nine federal agencies, was likely carried out by Russia. The US has also alleged that Russian president Vladimir Putin authorised attempts to swing the 2020 US presidential election in favour of Donald Trump.
U.S.The StatePopular NC teacher killed trying to rob Mexican drug cartel member, sheriff says
A popular Union County teacher described by family and friends as a devoted father, teacher and coach was fatally wounded in a shootout when he and his brother-in-law tried to rob members of a Mexican drug cartel, Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson said Wednesday. Barney Dale Harris, 40, taught Spanish and was head coach of the boys' varsity basketball and track teams at Union Academy Charter School in Monroe, according to his family and the school. Alamance County is east of Greensboro along interstates 85 and 40 — 55 miles west of Raleigh and 115 miles from Charlotte.
U.S.USA TODAYNo apology owed for pepper-spraying Black and Latino Army officer in Virginia, police chief says
While he said he felt bad for how the events of a traffic-stop late last year unfolded, the police chief of the town where a Black and Latino military officer from Petersburg, Virginia, was accosted by two of his officers said Wednesday that he does not think the soldier is in need of an official apology. In response, Army Lt. Caron Nazario's legal team said Windsor Police Department Chief Rodney D. Riddle "continues a false narrative" of the case and blaming their client for initiating it. "I'm gonna own what we did," Riddle said about the stop during a news conference Wednesday in the Isle of Wight County, Virginia, community where Nazario was stopped last December while on his way home.
WorldBBCIndia coronavirus: Can its vaccine producers meet demand?
With India attempting to ramp up vaccinations as Covid infections rise, the authorities have said they will fast track emergency approval for foreign-made vaccines. The Russian-developed Sputnik V has been given approval, as India's main domestic vaccine maker struggles to meet demand at home and globally. Can India meet its domestic needs?
PoliticsBusiness InsiderFlorida, Michigan, and Texas are the next frontiers in the nationwide battle over voting access
Republican lawmakers in Florida, Michigan, and Texas are taking up new voting laws. Proposed measures in all three states would add restrictions to mail voting. Recently, GOP governors in Iowa and Georgia signed major election reforms into law.
CelebrityNBC NewsWhat happened to Bernie Madoff's family? Where Ruth Madoff and the others are now
The death of Ponzi scheme mastermind Bernie Madoff has dredged up memories of the destruction and pain left behind in the wake of perhaps the most infamous Wall Street scheme in recent history. Madoff, 82, died while serving a 150-year prison sentence stemming from fraud charges that involved cheating thousands of investors, including the filmmaker Steven Spielberg and the actors Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick, out of billions in promised returns. In 2011, Ruth said during an interview with NBC's "TODAY" show that she did not miss her imprisoned husband, adding that "the villain of all this is behind bars."
U.S.Kansas City StarLetters: Readers discuss Kansas liquor laws, JoCo pit bulls and MLB’s foul ball rules
Liquor police Kansas is engaging in the most recent ugly trend in the liquor world, introducing laws under the guise of regulating the liquor market, even when these laws are unconstitutional. Kansas has passed legislation to license out-of-state fulfillment houses. A fulfillment house provides a service to wineries that direct ship wine to consumers.
TechnologyBBCFacebook faces investigation over data breach
The Irish Data Protection Commission is to launch an investigation into a data leak in which the details of hundreds of millions of Facebook users were published online. It had previously been looking into claims from Facebook that the data was old, from a previously reported leak in 2019. But it now says that there could have been a breach of data laws.
PoliticsUSA TODAYBiden set to give first formal address to Congress just before he marks 100 days in office
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden is set to deliver his first address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, April 28, just before he marks his 100th day in office. Biden accepted an invitation Tuesday night from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to address a joint session on that date, the White House confirmed. The speech will allow Biden to claim progress during his first 100 days, a benchmark historically for the presidency.
U.S.INSIDERCharges against Daunte Wright before his death have sparked anger and disinformation - here are the documents that explain what happened
Daunte Wright was killed on Sunday while he had an outstanding arrest warrant, the police said. Insider reviewed legal documents that shed light on what happened. Daunte Wright's killing by a police officer not far from Minneapolis sparked renewed debates about racism and policing in the US.
U.S.The StateMississippi dad suffers stroke after Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Here’s what happened.
A 43-year-old father of seven from Ocean Springs suffered a stroke hours after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Brad Malagarie was otherwise healthy before he suffered the stroke April 6 while at work. Malagarie had the most common form of stroke, an ischemic stroke, which is caused by a blood clot in an artery leading to the brain.
WorldNBC NewsCritics rebuke Macaulay Culkin's past comments as he welcomes child with Brenda Song
As fans celebrate the birth of Macaulay Culkin and Brenda Song's son, comments Culkin made in a past podcast interview are drawing criticism among Asian Americans. During a 2018 episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience," Culkin said Song is “Asian, so I'm gonna have tiny little Asian babies,” comparing their would-be offspring to Sean Lennon, the son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. “It's going to be adorable — a bunch of Sean Lennons running around the house, that's what I'm looking for," Culkin told the host, before claiming that he feels entitled to “make Asian jokes because I have an Asian girlfriend kinda thing.”
“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.”