Page 146 - United States

Hawaii wildfire death toll hits 102 as another victim succumbs to injuries

The death toll from the deadliest US wildfire in over a century, which devastated the historic town of Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui last year, has risen to 102, authorities said Monday. Claudette Heermance, 68, died in hospice care in Honolulu on March 28 of injuries suffered in the fire. The Maui Police Department announced the death, citing information from the Honolulu medical examiner's office. Heermance suffered burns on 20 per cent of her body and her case was complicated by multiple other conditions, said Dr. Masahiko Kobayashi, the Honolulu medical examiner. She was initially taken to Maui's hospital the day of the fire but was flown to Oahu the next day to be treated at the state's only burn unit. She entered hospice nearly four months later. Other causes of death included cardiovascular disease, end-stage renal disease and pressure ulcers, said another official from the medical examiner's office who refused to give her name. The August 8 wildfire was already th

Puerto Rico's power firm suspends $65 mn worth of maintenance projects

The private operator of Puerto Rico's power grid confirmed Monday the deferral of $65 million worth of maintenance and improvement projects in the U.S. territory, with some repairs postponed for at least a year because of budget constraints, putting at risk the already troubled grid and sparking a widespread outcry. Some of the deferred projects include maintenance of more than 100,000 light posts, fire mitigation and repairs on underground circuits, among other improvements. Luma Energy's head of regulatory affairs, Mario Hurtado, told The Associated Press on Monday that the suspended projects, which he aims to bring back next year, risk more outages across the island. The risk is always that there will be more failures in terms of public lighting, Hurtado said. At a budget hearing on Friday, Hurtado said Luma Energy prioritized other tasks based on professional judgment, which they consider calculated risks. The lack of fire mitigation puts the grid at risk as hotter temperature

Midwestern US flooding collapses rail bridge, forces evacuations, kills 2

A railroad bridge collapsed during flooding in the Midwestern US that has forced water rescues, led to evacuations, caused at least one death and brought additional misery during a vast and stubborn heat wave. The bridge connecting North Sioux City, South Dakota, with Sioux City, Iowa, collapsed into the Big Sioux River late Sunday, an emergency manager said. Local media images showed a large span of the steel bridge partially underwater as floodwaters rushed over it. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said at a news briefing Monday that the bridge was the main rail link from her state into Iowa. Some of its trusses collapsed, Jason Westcott, an emergency manager in Union County, South Dakota, told KCAU-TV. There were no reports of injuries from the collapse, which occurred around 11 pm. The bridge's owner, BNSF Railway, had stopped operating it as a precaution during the flooding, spokesperson Kendall Sloan said. Trains are being rerouted. We have damaged roads. We have damaged bridges

Russia summons US envoy over 'barbaric' missile strike on Crimea: Report

Russia, which began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, seized Crimea in 2014

US prosecutors recommend DOJ criminally charge Boeing as deadline looms

The Justice Department must decide by July 7 whether to prosecute Boeing. The recommendation of prosecutors handling the case has not been previously reported

Bet on these stocks to mint money on your friend's big fat Indian wedding

An average Indian couple spends around 2x on weddings versus education (pre-primary to graduation), according to the Jefferies note, which is in sharp contrast to countries such as the United States

After Russia blames US, Pentagon says Ukraine makes own targeting decisions

The war in Ukraine has triggered the biggest confrontation between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis

KKR seeks $20 billion for its new North America private equity fund

The New York-based firm, which had $578 billion in assets under management as of the end of March, is returning to a tougher fundraising market for buyout funds

Millions in US brace for more heat as floods inundate parts of Midwest

Millions of Americans prepared to sweat through yet another scorching day, with the potential for rolling storms later Sunday to bring relief from the sweltering heat for at least some. Floodwaters inundated parts of the Midwest, including a town in Iowa evacuated after being submerged up to the rooftops. Across the country in California, daily highs in the state's Central Valley were expected to stay in the triple digits (over 37 Celsius) into Monday. From the mid-Atlantic to Maine, across much of the Midwest and throughout inland California, public officials cautioned residents sweating through the heat and humidity. In Oklahoma, the heat index what the temperature feels like to the human body was expected to reach 107 degrees (41 degrees Celsius) on Sunday. It's more important for people who are going to be outside to stay hydrated, because heat, humidity and low winds, even if you're in good shape and not really acclimated to it, it could be a danger, said Bruce Thoren, a ...

US-Vietnam trust at an 'all-time high', says US envoy after visiting Hanoi

A senior US diplomat held talks in Vietnam on Saturday and said that the trust between the two countries was at an all-time high, just days after Russian President Vladimir Putin's state visit to Hanoi. US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink insisted that his trip was unrelated to Putin's visit on Thursday. Vietnam had elevated the United States to its highest diplomatic status, comprehensive strategic partner, last year, putting it at the same level as China and Russia. The elevation of the US ties suggested that Vietnam wanted to hedge its friendships as Western companies look to diversify their supply chains away from China. Kritenbrink was speaking at a briefing for selected media in Hanoi. A recording of the interaction was reviewed by The Associated Press. Putin's trip to Hanoi had triggered a sharp rebuke from the US Embassy in Hanoi, which said that no country should give Putin a platform to promote his war of aggression and ...

Flooding forces people from homes in Iowa as much of US broils in heat

Floodwaters forced people out of their homes in parts of Iowa, the result of weeks of rain, while much of the United States longed for relief Saturday from yet another round of extraordinary heat. Sirens blared at 2 a.m. in Rock Valley, Iowa, population 4,200, where people in hundreds of homes were told to get out as the Rock River could no longer take rain that has slammed the region. The city lacked running water because wells were unusable. Mayor Kevin Van Otterloo said a state helicopter was on its way to help but was called off when boats were able to reach stranded residents. We've had so much rain here, he said. We had 4 inches last night in an hour and a half time. Our ground just cannot take anymore. Gov. Kim Reynolds declared a disaster for 21 counties in northern Iowa, including Sioux County, which includes Rock Valley. In drone video posted by the local sheriff, no streets were visible, just roofs and treetops poking above the water. Elsewhere in the U.S., the miserabl

China could take control of Taiwan without firing shot: US think tank

Analysts and military strategists said that there are two key options available to China - a full-scale invasion or a military blockade

Yemen Houthi rebel attack targets ship as US aircraft carrier heads home

An attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeted a commercial ship travelling through the Gulf of Aden but apparently caused no damage, authorities said Saturday, in the latest strike on the shipping lane by the group. The Houthi attack comes after the sinking this week of the ship Tutor, which marked what appears to be a new escalation by the Iranian-backed Houthis in their campaign of strikes on ships in the vital maritime corridor over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, US officials reportedly ordered the USS Dwight D Eisenhower, the aircraft carrier leading America's response to the Houthi attacks, to return home after a twice-extended tour. The captain of the ship targeted late Friday saw explosions in the vicinity of the vessel, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said. A later briefing by the US-overseen Joint Maritime Information Centre said the vessel initially reported two explosions off its port side and a third one later. Th

A year after Titan disaster, OceanGate co-founder plans ocean sinkhole trip

The team will attempt to unravel the secrets of Dean's Blue Hole in The Bahamas, while being subjected to an extreme pressure of about 20 times greater than that felt on the surface

West Indies crush USA by 9 wickets in T20 World Cup Super 8 clash

Opener Shai Hope blasted an unbeaten 82 as West Indies came back roaring to crush the United States of America by nine wickets in the T20 World Cup Group 2 Super Eight match here. After bowling out the USA for a mere 128 in 19.5 overs, the West Indies batters went all guns blazing from the word go to knock off the target in 10.5 overs to make 130/1, recording a comfortable win. The win improved West Indies' standing in the Group 2 points table. The Caribbean side, which had suffered an eight-wicket hammering from England on Wednesday, is now placed second with two points and a Net Run Rate of 1.814. Johnson Charles fell for a 14-ball 15 with a couple of fours early on but the pair of Hope (82 not out) and Nicholas Pooran did the job for their side, smacking the USA bowlers all around the park here at the Kensington Oval. Hope made a mincemeat of the USA bowling as the right-handed wicketkeeper-batter clattered eight sixes and four fours to make 82 not out from just 39 balls, with .

8 crew members of ship that crashed into Baltimore bridge leave for India

Eight Indian crew members of the cargo ship 'Dali' that crashed into a famed Baltimore bridge in March left for India on Friday after nearly three months on the mammoth vessel. According to Baltimore Maritime Exchange, four of the 21 crew members are still on board the 984-foot cargo ship MV Dali, which is tentatively scheduled to leave Friday evening for Norfolk, Virginia. The rest of the crew has been moved to a service apartment in Baltimore and will remain there pending an investigation. Notably, 20 of the crew members were Indian nationals. They were on board the MV Dali Cargo, which struck the pillars of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge resulting in its collapse and the death of six construction workers in the tragic incident. Dali will undergo repair at Norfolk. The departure of eight Indian crew members including a cook, a fitter and seamen follows a deal approved by the judge. None of these are officers. The rest 13 would remain in the US, mainly because of the pendin

Shooting at grocery store in Arkansas kills 3, wounds 10 others: Police

A shooter who opened fire Friday at a grocery store in Arkansas left the store and parked cars riddled with bullet holes as bystanders ducked for cover both indoors and in the parking lot, killing 3 people and wounding 10 others, authorities said. The wounded included two law enforcement officers who exchanged fire with the shooter, state police said. The shooting occurred about 11:30 a.m. at the Mad Butcher grocery store in Fordyce, a city of about 3,200 people located 65 miles (104 kilometers) south of Little Rock. It's tragic, our hearts are broken, Col. Mike Hagar, director of State Police and public safety secretary, told reporters Friday. Neither the officers' nor the suspected shooter's injuries were life threatening. The remaining injuries ranged from not life-threatening to extremely critical, Hagar said. It's the latest mass shooting where a grocery store is its backdrop. A white supremacist in 2022 killed 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket. That shooting came a lit

After a sluggish period, China's economic outlook improving: JPMorgan Chase

US companies are assessing their prospects in China as its economy recovers unevenly and relations worsen between the two nations

China accuses EU of foul play, says escalation could trigger 'trade war'

China's Commerce Ministry on Thursday accused the European Union of making unreasonable demands in its investigation into imports of Chinese electric vehicles before announcing it was raising tariffs by as much as 38 per cent. Ministry spokesman He Yadong said the European side had demanded excessive amounts of information from Chinese automakers and then unfairly accused the Chinese companies of failing to cooperate. The types, scope, and amount of information collected by the European side are unprecedented, far exceeding the requirements of anti-subsidy investigations, He said. He said that included requiring details on manufacturing and development, technology and product formulas, among other aspects, from Chinese electric vehicle and battery companies. "After Chinese companies did their best to cooperate with the investigation and provided information, the European Commission still unreasonably accused Chinese companies of not fully cooperating and imposed punitive high tax ..

Pak players draw flak for taking families to US for ICC T20 World Cup

Pakistan's disastrous T20 World Cup campaign in the USA has expectedly triggered a backlash against the players, who are being criticised for taking their families along, even as their beleaguered cricket board mulled invoking a new defamation law to tackle "unsubstantiated claims and reports". According to a local media report, apart from the nearly 34 players, support staff and officials who were part of the national squad in the USA, the team hotel was teeming with around 26 to 28 family members of the players. These included their wives, children, parents and even siblings in some cases. Pakistan were eliminated after losing to India and debutants USA in their group league stage matches held in New York. The report said players like Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, and Muhammad Amir were among those who had family members travelling with them. Babar, who is not married, had his father, mother and brothers staying in the team hotel. "The extra expenses incurre