U.S./World category, Page 1002
Zoo in Germany claims it might have to slaughter animals to feed others because of pandemic
At one zoo in Germany, the coronavirus pandemic has produced a dog-eat-dog environment. Sort of. The Neumünster Zoo is requesting donations and warning it might have to slaughter some of its animals to feed others in the park to keep them alive. The zoo’s director, Verena Kaspari, said killing some...
Gov. Cuomo orders face masks in New York public areas
NEW YORK — New Yorkers who can’t keep at least 6 feet away from others in public must wear masks or other face-coverings amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to an edict issued Wednesday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The mandate came hours after Mayor Bill de Blasio instructed shoppers to cover...
Judge cancels permit for Keystone XL pipeline
BILLINGS, Mont. — A U.S. judge canceled a key permit Wednesday for the Keystone XL oil pipeline that’s expected to stretch from Canada to Nebraska, another setback for the disputed project that got under way less than two weeks ago following years of delays. Judge Brian Morris said the Army...
Thousands protest Michigan governor’s social distance orderVideo
LANSING — Thousands of flag-waving, honking protesters drove past the Michigan Capitol on Wednesday to show their displeasure with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s orders to keep people at home and businesses locked during the coronavirus outbreak. As snow fell, others got out of their vehicles and raised signs, one of which...
China didn’t warn public of likely pandemic for 6 key days
In the six days after top Chinese officials secretly determined they likely were facing a pandemic from a new coronavirus, the city of Wuhan at the epicenter of the disease hosted a mass banquet for tens of thousands of people; millions began traveling through for Lunar New Year celebrations. President...
A virus that hits all faiths tests religion’s tie to science
NEW YORK — Tanzania’s president claimed the coronavirus “cannot sit in the body of Christ.” Israel’s health minister dismissed a potential curfew by saying that “the Messiah will come and save us.” A global Muslim missionary movement held mass gatherings — and took blame for spreading the disease. While most...
Vatican removes financial watchdog head as scandal continues
ROME — The Vatican on Wednesday replaced the director of its financial watchdog agency, completing a coup that began in October with controversial police raids on the watchdog offices and an investigation into a London real estate deal. The Vatican secretary of state named a Bank of Italy official, Giuseppe...
Trump’s halting of funds to WHO sparks worldwide rebuke
GENEVA — Nations and health experts worldwide reacted with alarm Wednesday after President Donald Trump announced a halt to the sizable funding the United States sends to the World Health Organization. They warned that the move could jeopardize global efforts to stop the coronavirus pandemic. At a briefing in Washington,...
EU unveils virus exit plan, hoping to avoid more chaosVideo
BRUSSELS — The European Union moved Wednesday to head off a chaotic and potentially disastrous easing of restrictions that are limiting the spread of the coronavirus, warning its 27 nations to move very cautiously as they return to normal life and base their actions on scientific advice. With Austria, the...
Deputies: Florida doctors who took down Trump flag arrested
GULF BREEZE, Fla. — Deputies in Florida said two doctors stole a campaign flag supporting President Donald Trump from their neighbor’s property. Geoffrey Michael Fraiche, 41, and Laura Ann Webb-Fraiche, 38, allegedly took the flag on April 7 while their two children were with them, news outlets reported. A Santa...
Major airlines line up to split $25 billion in payroll aid
The nation’s biggest airlines have tentatively agreed to terms for $25 billion in government aid to pay workers and avoid massive layoffs in an industry that has been slammed by the coronavirus pandemic. The assistance will include a mix of cash and loans, with the government getting warrants that can...
Indiana firefighter waiting on stimulus check finds $8.2 million in bank accountVideo
Surprise! An Indiana volunteer firefighter went to an ATM to withdraw $200 from his checking account only to find out he was a millionaire after looking at his receipt. According to Chicago-based television station WGN 9, Charles Calvin, of New Chicago, Ind., said he glanced down at his receipt and...
Kentucky lawmakers override veto of voter ID measure
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Republican lawmakers in Kentucky swept aside the Democratic governor’s veto of a bill to require the state’s residents to show a government-issued photo ID to vote. Votes to override Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto easily cleared the GOP-led Senate and House as lawmakers reconvened Tuesday for a wrap-up...
New Jersey beach trash finds: Full pickle jar, turkey baster, cremation bag
SANDY HOOK, N.J. — As New Jersey’s beaches go, so goes the state of the environment. Items plucked from the sand during spring and fall cleanups each year help illustrate trends going on in the state and the nation, and last year was a particularly good example. Empty cartridges used...
Navy removes 116 from hospital ship after virus infects 7
LOS ANGELES — The Navy has removed 116 medical staff members from its hospital ship docked off Los Angeles after seven of them tested positive for covid-19, an official said Tuesday. The personnel from the USNS Mercy were taken to a nearby base and remain under quarantine. None so far...
Idaho AG to probe spouse death in tangled missing kids case
BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho attorney general has agreed to investigate the mother of two missing children and her new husband in connection with the death of his first wife. The mystery of the children’s disappearance and the deaths of three people close to the couple, including their spouses, has...
Congress won’t be back until May at the earliest
WASHINGTON — The Senate will not return to Washington for regular legislative action before May 4, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Tuesday. The move follows a Monday announcement that the House will also push back its expected return date until May. “As the country continues working together to flatten the...
Detained immigrants plead for masks, protection from virus
HOUSTON — Elsy was on the phone in an immigration detention center when guards showed up with face masks and forms to sign. The asylum-seeker from El Salvador and others had resorted to tearing their T-shirts into face coverings after a woman in their unit tested positive for covid-19. But...
No hugs or handshakes: Pandemic complicates storm relief in the SouthVideo
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — For people who lost homes to the deadly tornadoes that rampaged across the South, there are no comforting hugs from volunteers or handshakes from politicians. There are no Red Cross shelters for homeless families, who are staying instead in hotel rooms to avoid large gatherings. The disaster...
Health care workers make up 10%-20% of U.S. coronavirus cases
NEW YORK — Between 10% and 20% of U.S. coronavirus cases are health care workers, though they tended to be hospitalized at lower rates than other patients, officials reported Tuesday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the first national data on how the pandemic is hitting doctors, nurses...
Deaths hit 45 at Virginia care home called ‘virus’s dream’
RICHMOND, Va. — Ronald Mitchell worried about his mother’s care at a suburban Richmond nursing home long before she was swept up in one of the nation’s deadliest coronavirus outbreaks. She’s bedbound and susceptible to seizures. A sore on her foot went unnoticed for so long, he said, that it...
Cuomo: Trump not a king, can’t force states to reopen
NEW YORK — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo pushed back Tuesday against President Donald Trump’s claim of “total” authority to reopen the nation’s virus-stalled economy, but also insisted “the president will have no fight with me.” “We don’t have a king in this country. We didn’t want a king, so...
Florida judge: Get out of bed, get dressed for Zoom hearings
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A Florida judge has one request for attorneys showing up for court hearings via Zoom: Get out of bed and put on some clothes! Broward Circuit Judge Dennis Bailey made the plea in a letter published by the Weston Bar Association, news outlets reported. “It is...
North Korea fires barrage of missiles from ground and air
SEOUL, South Korea — A barrage of North Korean missiles fired from both the ground and fighter jets splashed down on the waters off the country’s east coast on Tuesday, South Korea’s military said, a show of force on the eve of a key state anniversary in the North and...
Workers sue McDonald’s over harassment at Florida stores
Two McDonald’s workers in Florida are filing a $500 million class action lawsuit against the company, claiming a “systemic sexual harassment problem” at company-owned stores. The lawsuit was filed Monday in federal court in Illinois, where McDonald’s is based. In the complaint, current McDonald’s employee Jamelia Fairley and former employee...
