Tag: Region Americas
Minnesota Republican Tayler Rahm drops out to clear path for Joe Teirab in competitive US House race
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Republicans got a straighter path to potential victory Saturday in what is expected to be Minnesota’s closest congressional race when GOP-endorsed candidate Tayler Rahm dropped out of a primary fight against the better-funded Joe Teirab, who already had tacit backing from key House leaders. Rahm, a political newcomer and defense attorney, said in a statement that he…
Abbott faces trial over claims Similac formula caused dangerous disease
(Reuters) – Similac baby formula maker Abbott is expected to face a trial on Monday over claims that its formula for preterm infants used in neonatal intensive care units causes a potentially deadly bowel disease, the second trial out of hundreds of similar lawsuits in the United States. Lawyers for the company and for Illinois resident Margo Gill will make…
Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor “relieved of duty” after Karen Read mistrial
A judge declared a mistrial in the murder trial of Karen Read, the Massachusetts woman accused of drunkenly driving into her police officer boyfriend and leaving him to die in January 2022, in a case featuring accusations of a vast police cover-up and investigative misconduct. And the state trooper who helped lead the investigation – a man who admitted on…
Puerto Rico sues former officials accused of corruption to recover more than $30M in public funds
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s Justice Department announced Tuesday that it is suing at least 30 ex-government officials accused of corruption to recover more than $30 million in public funds. Among those sued are three former legislators, including María Milagros Charbonier, who was sentenced in May to eight years in federal prison after being found guilty of…
Julian Assange will be freed but must claim guilt: What it means for journalism
Wikileaks founder, publisher, journalist and DiEM25 founding member, Julian Assange, will reportedly enter into a plea deal with the United States prosecutors and be sentenced with time served.
Supreme Court rejects challenge to Connecticut law that eliminated religious vaccination exemption
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a challenge to a 2021 Connecticut law that eliminated the state’s longstanding religious exemption from childhood immunization requirements for schools, colleges and day care facilities. The justices did not comment in leaving in place a federal appeals court ruling that upheld the contentious law. A lower court judge had earlier dismissed…
Air Force colonel ID’d as 1 of 2 men missing after Alaska plane crash
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — An Air Force colonel who is the director of operations for the Alaskan Command is one of the two men missing after a small airplane crashed into a remote lake, officials said Thursday. Alaska Wildlife Troopers and the Alaskan Command identified the men as Col. Mark “Tyson” Sletten, 46, of Anchorage, and Paul Kondrat, 41, of Utah. They…
The US fines Middle Eastern airline Emirates $1.8 million for flights that passed too low over Iraq
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Transportation Department said Thursday that it fined Middle Eastern airline Emirates $1.8 million for flights in regions off-limits to U.S. airlines while it allowed JetBlue Airways to sell seats on the planes. The fine involves a “significant number” of flights from December 2021 to August 2022 that passed over Iraq on their way between the United…
US sends submarine to Cuba after Russian ships arrive
USS Helena, a Los Angeles-class boat, arrived on Thursday for a “routine port visit,” the US Southern Command said in a statement. “The vessel’s location and transit were previously planned,” SOUTHCOM added, noting that the Helena is “conducting its global maritime security and national defense mission.” AP described the submarine’s arrival as “a show of force” by Washington, in response…
Use of F-16s on Russian territory ‘not escalation’ – NATO chief
Donating fighter jets to Kiev will not involve members of the alliance in the conflict, Jens Stoltenberg has insisted Ukrainian strikes anywhere inside Russia using Western-donated F-16 aircraft would not be an escalation of the conflict and would not make NATO member states parties to it, according to the military bloc’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. He was asked on Thursday…
US using Ukraine conflict as pretext to impose sanctions – China
Washington is “extremely hypocritical” for arming Kiev while pushing for peace, Beijing’s foreign ministry has said. The US is using the Ukraine crisis as an opportunity to impose sanctions while continuing to pump Kiev with weapons, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Thursday. Lin made the remarks after the US State Department and Treasury Department announced a new…
US and Poland set up center to fight ‘Russian disinformation’
The Warsaw-based facility will detect “deceptive narratives” on the Ukraine conflict, the US State Department has said. The United States and Poland have launched an international group based in Warsaw to counter what they describe as Russian disinformation on the Ukraine conflict, the US State Department has announced. The Ukraine Communications Group (UCG) is designed to detect “deceptive narratives” from…
Russia promises ‘decisive response’ to ‘confrontational’ US
The envoy made the statement during an address dedicated to Russia Day, which was celebrated on Wednesday. Earlier the same day, Washington announced more restrictions on Moscow over its military operation against Ukraine. “The US administration congratulated the Russian people with the announcement of yet another sanctions package,” Antonov said. Russia will not insist on being a US partner, but…
Johnson & Johnson to settle claims it misled consumers about safety of talcum products, including “baby powder”
Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay $700m to settle lawsuits in the United States that accused the pharmaceutical giant of deceiving customers about the safety of its talcum-based powder products. J&J’s payout resolves an investigation by more than 40 US states into the marketing of baby powder and other talc-based products that contained traces of cancer-causing asbestos. “Targeting communities…
FDA warning: Avoid Crecelac & Farmalac distributed by Dairy Manufacturers Inc
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health officials warned parents to avoid powdered infant formula sold by a Texas dairy producer, because a dangerous bacteria was found in one of the company’s products. The Food and Drug Administration issued the alert Friday on Crecelac Infant Powdered Goat Milk Infant Formula, after a sample collected from a Texas store tested positive for cronobacter,…
The Latest | Jury finds Trump guilty on all charges in hush money trial
It was the first time a former U.S. president was ever tried or convicted in a criminal case, and was the first of Trump’s four indictments to reach trial. Prosecutors accused Trump of falsifying internal business records to cover up hush money payments tied to an alleged scheme to bury stories that might torpedo his 2016 White House bid. At…