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☆ Secret Service Agent Robbed at Gunpoint on Night of Biden’s L.A. Gala
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Yan Zhuang | More About Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A United States Secret Service agent was robbed at gunpoint in Southern California over the weekend, on the same night that President Joe Biden was in Los Angeles for a re-election fund-raiser, the authorities said on Monday. Upon arriving at the development — a former military base — the police discovered that the victim was a Secret Service agent whose bag had been stolen at gunpoint, the statement said. During the robbery, an agent fired a gun, the police added. The suspected robbery occurred on the same night that Mr. Biden was in downtown Los Angeles for a star-studded re-election fund-raiser with former President Barack Obama. Celebrities including George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Barbra Streisand attended the gala, which the Biden campaign said raised at least $28 million.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Barack Obama, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Barbra Streisand Organizations: States Secret Service, Monday . Police, Tustin Police Department, Service Locations: States, Southern California, Los Angeles, Orange County

☆ Growing Wildfire Burns 10,000 Acres and Forces Evacuations Near Los Angeles
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-16 | by ( Yan Zhuang | More About Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A fast-spreading wildfire northwest of Los Angeles has burned more than 10,000 acres and forced the evacuation of about 1,200 people, according to local authorities, fueled by strong winds that are expected to last until Monday. The blaze, named the Post Fire, started at 1:47 p.m. Saturday in Gorman, Calif., near Interstate 5 about 50 miles outside Los Angeles, the authorities said. Within 12 hours, it had spread to over 10,500 acres, according to CalFire, California’s firefighting agency. It was zero percent contained as of Saturday evening, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The authorities evacuated 1,200 people from the Hungry Valley recreation area and closed the nearby Pyramid Lake reservoir, the fire department said on Saturday evening.

Organizations: Angeles County Fire Department, Firefighters Locations: Los Angeles, Gorman, Calif, CalFire, Angeles

☆ Curfew Imposed Amid Protests in Pacific Territory of New Caledonia
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Yan Zhuang | More About Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The authorities in New Caledonia, a semiautonomous French territory in the South Pacific, put a curfew in place on Tuesday and banned all public gatherings after protests against a proposed constitutional change turned violent overnight. France’s High Commission of the Republic in New Caledonia announced on Tuesday that a “massive mobilization” of security and defense forces has been sent to quell the protests. In addition, a curfew was imposed in the capital, Noumea, for Tuesday night, and all public gatherings were banned along with the sale of alcohol and the transportation of weapons, the High Commission said. The latest protests started on Monday, before a scheduled Tuesday vote in the French Parliament on a change to New Caledonia’s Constitution that would expand French citizens’ eligibility to vote in provincial elections. Some pro-independence activists in the territory fear the amendment would water down their movement.

Organizations: High Commission Locations: New Caledonia, South, France’s, Republic, Noumea

☆ Cold Lava and Floods Kill 37 in Indonesia
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Yan Zhuang | More About Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Heavy rain in Indonesia over the weekend triggered flash flooding and sent torrents of cold lava coursing down a volcano and into towns, killing at least 37 people, officials said. Hours of rain on Saturday night carried volcanic rock and ash down Mount Marapi, an active volcano on the island of Sumatra. Those mudslides are known as lahars in Indonesian, which translates to cold lava. Four areas on the western part of Sumatra were badly impacted, according to Indonesia’s disaster management agency. By Sunday night, 37 residents had been killed and another 17 were missing, the agency said.

Persons: Marapi Locations: Indonesia, Sumatra

☆ Ian Gelder, ‘Game of Thrones’ Actor, Dies at 74
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Yan Zhuang | More About Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ian Gelder, the British actor who capped his half-century career by appearing in the hit series “Game of Thrones” as Kevan Lannister, brother of feared patriarch Tywin Lannister, died on Monday. His death was announced by his husband, fellow actor Ben Daniels, who said in a social media post that Mr. Gelder had been diagnosed with bile duct cancer in December. Mr. Gelder’s agent, Daniel Albert, also confirmed his death. Over a 50-year career in television, film and theater, Mr. Gelder appeared in the beloved British sci-fi show “Doctor Who” and its spinoff “Torchwood,” as well as in a television adaptation of “His Dark Materials,” the trilogy of fantasy novels by Philip Pullman. He appeared in 12 episodes of “Game of Thrones” as Kevan Lannister, starting in the first season when his character was a military adviser for his older brother, Tywin, as the House Lannister battled House Stark.

Persons: Ian Gelder, Lannister, Tywin Lannister, Ben Daniels, Gelder, Daniel Albert, Who, “, Philip Pullman, Stark Organizations: Mr Locations: British

☆ Dozens Are Arrested in Pro-Palestinian Protest at Art Institute of Chicago
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Yan Zhuang | More About Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The police forcibly dismantled a pro-Palestinian encampment at the Art Institute of Chicago on Saturday and arrested dozens of protesters, hours after demonstrators had gathered in a garden at the institute and set up tents. Some of the demonstrators were students at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, which is affiliated with the institute, the school said in a statement. The Chicago police said on social media that officers had removed the protesters at the school’s request. A Chicago Police spokesman said Sunday that 68 people had been arrested and charged with trespassing. The protesters set up the encampment in the North Garden, which is part of the Art Institute of Chicago museum, at about 11 a.m. on Saturday, the police said.

Persons: “, ” Organizations: Art Institute of Chicago, School of, Chicago police, Chicago Police

☆ Richard Tandy, Keyboardist for Electric Light Orchestra, Dies at 76
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Yan Zhuang | More About Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Richard Tandy, the keyboardist for the British rock band Electric Light Orchestra, whose riffs helped define the futuristic blend of Beatles-esque pop and orchestral arrangements that catapulted the group to global fame in the 1970s, has died. Mr. Lynne, who called Mr. Tandy his “longtime collaborator,” did not specify when Mr. Tandy had died or the cause of death. Born on March 26, 1948, in Birmingham, England, Mr. Tandy first entered the orbit of E.L.O. by playing the harpsichord in a band with Bev Bevan, who would later become E.L.O.’s drummer. after the release of its first album in 1972, initially playing bass guitar but later becoming the group’s keyboardist after another founding member left.

Persons: Richard Tandy, Jeff Lynne, Lynne, Tandy, ”, Bev Bevan, ’ Organizations: Orchestra, E.L.O Locations: British, Birmingham, England

☆ Driver Plows Into Michigan Birthday Party, Killing 2 Children
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Yan Zhuang | More About Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A drunken driver plowed into a building where a children’s birthday party was being held in Michigan on Saturday afternoon, killing two young siblings and injuring at least 15 other people, the police said. Fifteen people were injured, including three children and six adults who sustained life-threatening injuries and were driven or airlifted to local hospitals, Sheriff Goodnough said. The driver has been taken into police custody and is currently at the Monroe County jail, Sheriff Goodnough said. She has been charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated causing death, and is likely to face additional criminal charges, he said. In Michigan, the penalty for such an offense could be as much as $10,000 in fines and 15 years in prison.

Persons: Troy Goodnough, Sheriff Goodnough Organizations: Swan Boat, Sheriff Locations: Michigan, Monroe County, Berlin Township, Detroit, Newport, Monroe

☆ After Months of Cocaine Washing Ashore, Australian Police Make an Arrest
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Yan Zhuang | More About Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Inside were 39 sealed packages, each containing about two pounds of cocaine, according to the police. Then, within days, nine more packages were found across eight beaches and bays spanning a 60-mile stretch of coastline between Sydney and Newcastle. And more kept washing ashore in the following weeks and months. In one instance, a lifeguard plucked a two-pound block out of the water off Bondi Beach in Sydney. In another, a fisherman found a blue barrel containing 39 two-pound blocks.

Organizations: Australian Federal Police Locations: New South Wales, Australia, Sydney, Newcastle, Beach, Queensland

☆ Widespread 911 Outages Are Reported in Four States
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Yan Zhuang | More About Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A large-scale outage is affecting residents’ ability to call the 911 emergency number in parts of Nebraska and Texas, and the entire state of South Dakota, according to local authorities. In Las Vegas, calls to 911 on landline phones and mobile phones were not connecting for about two hours before service was restored at about 9 p.m., the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said on social media. During the outage, dispatchers could see attempts to make calls from mobile phones and would call residents back, the police said, and all attempted calls had been answered. The outage was also affecting southern Nevada, the Nevada State Police said. Outages were also reported by the local police departments of Dundy County, Neb., Kearney County, Neb., Howard County, Neb., Fremont, Neb., and Del Rio, Texas.

Persons: Del Organizations: Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Nevada State Police Locations: Nebraska, Texas, South Dakota, Las Vegas, Nevada, Dundy County, Neb, Kearney County, Howard County, Fremont, Del Rio , Texas

☆ Heavy Rainfall in Oman, Which Killed 18, Expected to Continue on Wednesday
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Yan Zhuang | More About Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With the downpour expected to continue on Wednesday, schools and government offices have been closed and hundreds have evacuated. Some areas received over 180 millimeters of rain between Sunday and Tuesday, according to the country’s National Committee for Emergency Management. The average annual rainfall in Muscat, the nation’s capital, is about 100 millimeters — although other parts of the country can receive more rain. The 18 dead includes an infant, the emergency management committee said on Tuesday, and two others are missing. On Wednesday, heavy rain was forecast to continue falling, with some places, including Muscat, expected to receive 30 to 100 millimeters of rain, the emergency management committee said.

Organizations: Emergency Management, Associated Press Locations: Oman, Muscat

☆ Did Three African Runners Let a Chinese Runner Win a Race in Beijing?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Yan Zhuang | More About Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

After a grueling hour, there was little to separate the four runners as the finish line approached. Seconds later, another runner did the same. He Jie of China then strode ahead of the others, a recorded livestream of Sunday’s Beijing Half Marathon shows. He took first place with a time of 1 hour 3 minutes 44 seconds. Mnangat, Keter and Hailu tied for second place, one second later.

Persons: Jie, strode, — Willy Mnangat, Robert Keter, Ethiopia —, Hailu Organizations: Marathon Locations: China, Sunday’s Beijing, Kenya, Ethiopia

☆ Roger, a Failed Drug Dog, Becomes a Hero of Taiwan’s Quake Response
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Yan Zhuang | More About Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The dog picked through boulders and rubble in the Taiwanese national park, looking for victims trapped or buried by the rockslides that had followed a 7.4-magnitude earthquake. Roger was trained to look for survivors, but his handler, Lee Hsin Hung, suspected that this time he had found something else. “As I got closer, I saw the leg of the deceased,” Mr. Lee said in an interview. Roger’s discovery led rescuers to recover the body of a 21-year-old woman from the rubble on Saturday, taking the death toll of Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in 25 years to 13. More than 1,000 more were injured in the disaster (but strict building codes and public preparedness may have helped prevent an even greater catastrophe).

Persons: sniffed, Roger, Lee Hsin Hung, ” Mr, Lee Organizations: sniffed Locations: Labrador

Taro Akebono, a Hawaii-born sumo wrestler who became the sport’s first foreign grand champion, has died. He died of heart failure in early April while receiving care at a hospital in Tokyo, according to a statement from his family that was distributed by the United States Forces in Japan. Born Chad George Ha’aheo Rowan in Hawaii, Akebono became Japan’s 64th yokozuna, or grand champion sumo wrestler, in 1993, the first foreign-born sumo wrestler to win the sport’s highest title. He went on to win a total of 11 grand championships. He is survived by his wife, a daughter and two sons, according to the U.S.

Persons: Taro Akebono, Chad George Ha’aheo Rowan, Akebono, Motoko Rich Organizations: United States Forces, U.S . Forces Locations: Hawaii, Tokyo, Japan

A volcano erupted with little notice in southern Iceland on Saturday night, the latest in a string of eruptions in the area, threatening local infrastructure and leading the authorities to declare a state of emergency. Lava fountains burst out of the ground, and a nearly two-mile-long fissure opened up on the Reykjanes Peninsula around 8:30 p.m., the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. The meteorological office said that it had received indications of a possible eruption only about 40 minutes before it happened. The Blue Lagoon and Grindavik were evacuated shortly after the eruption, according to RUV, the national broadcaster. About 700 visitors were staying at the Blue Lagoon.

Persons: Grindavik Organizations: Icelandic Meteorological Locations: Iceland, Grindavik

☆ Was He Secretly Working for China? This Is What He Told Us.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Yan Zhuang | More About Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

So why would he not get into trouble with the authorities? He believed that it would be embarrassing for Australia to accuse of him of spying because he had been an active member of a major political party. Less than two years later, in 2020, he became the first person to be charged under Australia’s broad foreign interference laws. He was among the hundreds of thousands of ethnic Chinese who fled that country in the 1970s. He settled in Australia and grew a business making tombstones, secured a middle-class life and got enmeshed in local Chinese community groups.

Persons: ”, Di, Duong Locations: Australia, China, Beijing, Vietnam

☆ Space One Rocket Explodes Seconds After Launch in Japan
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Yan Zhuang | More About Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The first rocket launched by the Japanese start-up Space One exploded seconds after takeoff on Wednesday, denting its ambition to become the country’s first private company to put a satellite into orbit. The Kairos solid-fuel rocket launched just after 11 a.m. local time and burst into flames less than ten seconds later, livestreams of the launch showed. The explosion left behind a large plume of smoke and set off a fire in a nearby forest that firefighters were battling to extinguish. The 60-foot-long rocket weighs 23 tons and was launched from Space Port Kii in Wakayama Prefecture on Japan’s main island, according to the company’s website. Space One did not respond to requests for comment early Wednesday afternoon.

Locations: Space Port, Wakayama Prefecture

Latam, a Chilean airline, provided no specifics about the technical problem that it said had caused the disturbance. One passenger, who said she was a former flight attendant, told The New Zealand Herald that there had been a “quick little drop” during the flight, Latam Airlines Flight 800. Aircraft tracking information from Flight Aware showed a gap of roughly an hour for which no data was available. The plane, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, was met at Auckland International Airport by 14 emergency vehicles, including seven ambulances, according to the city’s ambulance service, Hato Hone St. John. Ambulance crews treated about 50 people at the scene, including the person in serious condition; the others were in “moderate to minor condition,” the service said.

Organizations: Latam, New Zealand Herald, Aircraft, Boeing, Auckland International Airport, Hato Hone St, John . Ambulance Locations: Auckland, New, Chilean, Hato Hone

Mark Dodson, who voiced strange puppet creatures in “Star Wars,” including Salacious B. Crumb, the cackling monkey-lizard pet of Jabba the Hutt, and “Gremlins” films, died on Saturday. No cause of death was given. Mr. Dodson’s career began in 1983 on “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi,” when he voiced Salacious B. Crumb, the court jester of Jabba the Hutt that was known for its maniacal laugh. In a 2020 interview, Mr. Dodson explained how he had gotten the role by accident. He was auditioning for Adm. Ackbar, a leader during the Clone Wars, but was so nervous that he asked for a break to compose himself, and was overheard using a deranged voice that the casting director thought was perfect for Crumb.

Persons: Mark Dodson, Crumb, the Hutt, Peter DeLorme, Dodson’s, Salacious, Jabba, Hutt, Dodson, Adm, Ackbar Organizations: Evansville Horror Con, “ Locations: Indiana

☆ Four Eye Ointments Pulled Because of Infection Risk
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Yan Zhuang | More About Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Four eye ointments sold in stores including Walmart and CVS are being recalled because of a potential risk of eye infections or related harm, after U.S. investigators raised concerns about the potential lack of sterility. The voluntary recall involves four over-the-counter products manufactured by Brassica Pharma, according to an announcement by the Food and Drug Administration on Monday. Two are from Equate, a Walmart brand; one is a CVS Health brand; and another is an AACE Pharmaceuticals brand. Brassica Pharma is a drug development and manufacturing company based in the Indian state of Maharashtra that supplies products to the United States, Europe, Asia and Africa, according to the company’s website. Brassica Pharma’s factory is in the city of Tarapur, about three hours north of Mumbai.

Persons: ointments Organizations: Walmart, CVS, U.S, Brassica Pharma, Food and Drug Administration, Pharmaceuticals, Pharma Locations: Indian, Maharashtra, United States, Europe, Asia, Africa, Tarapur, Mumbai

☆ Mojo Nixon, Who Mixed Roots and Punk Rock, Dies at 66
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Yan Zhuang | More About Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mojo Nixon, the rabble-rousing psychobilly musician and radio host who shot to fame with his satirical 1987 hit “Elvis Is Everywhere,” died on Wednesday aboard a country music cruise that he was co-hosting. His death was confirmed by Matt Eskey, the director of a 2020 documentary film about Mr. Nixon. He said that Mr. Nixon had a “cardiac event” while he was asleep as the Outlaw Country Cruise was docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico. A statement posted by the film’s official Facebook page said that Mr. Nixon had died “after a blazing show, a raging night, closing the bar, taking no prisoners.”Mr. Nixon was best known for his celebrity spoofs, like “Don Henley Must Die” and “Debbie Gibson Is Pregnant With My Two-Headed Love Child,” and for satirical tirades like “I Hate Banks” and “Destroy All Lawyers.” “All of it was performed in maximum overdrive on a bed of rockabilly, blues, and R&B, which earned Nixon some friends in the roots rock community but had enough punk attitude — in its own bizarre way — to make him a college radio staple during his heyday,” the All Music Guide wrote.

Persons: Mojo Nixon, ”, Matt Eskey, Nixon, Mr, “ Don Henley, Debbie Gibson, Banks Locations: San Juan , Puerto Rico

☆ 2 Navy SEALs Declared Dead After Mission to Stop Iranian Weapons
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Yan Zhuang | More About Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The U.S. military said on Sunday that it had declared two Navy SEALs dead after they went missing 10 days ago during an operation at sea to intercept weapons from Iran headed to Houthi fighters. They are among the first known U.S. fatalities in Washington’s campaign against the Houthis, who have launched dozens of attacks on ships in the Red Sea since November, roiling the global shipping industry. The episode involving the SEALs occurred in the Arabian Sea, off the coast of Somalia on Jan. 11. During that nighttime commando mission, according to the U.S. military, American troops boarded a small boat, called a dhow, and seized weapons including Iranian made ballistic-missile and cruise-missile components bound for Yemen. The mission led to the first seizure by U.S. forces of Iran-supplied weapons since the Houthis started attacking ships in the Red Sea, the U.S. military said in a statement last week.

Organizations: U.S, Navy, ., Pentagon, U.S . Central Command Locations: Iran, Red, United States, Yemen, Somalia, U.S, Gazans, Israel

☆ Fire Season in Australia Has Started, Early and Ominous
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Yan Zhuang | More About Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The warmest winter on record, followed by an unusually warm and dry spring. Hundreds of fires along Australia’s east coast, including one that razed 53 homes in Queensland. It’s not yet summer, but Australia’s fire season is well underway, in the latest example of how climate change is altering the rhythms of life across the Earth. Stoked by the El Niño weather pattern, it is the first dry and hot year since the Black Summer of 2019-2020. “We’re still at the very beginning of the fire reason, and already we’ve had hundreds of fires since early October,” Western Australia’s emergency services minister, Stephen Dawson, said on Friday.

Persons: We’re, we’ve, Stephen Dawson Locations: Queensland, Perth, El

☆ Woman Detained for Questioning in Suspected Mushroom Poisoning Case
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Yan Zhuang | More About Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Three of the four guests who attended a family lunch in a quiet Australian country town died shortly afterward, with symptoms the police said were consistent with mushroom poisoning. On Thursday, three months after the lunch in question, police took her into custody for further questioning. Erin Patterson, 49, hosted the lunch on July 29, at her home in Leongatha in the state of Victoria. Mr. Patterson, Ms. Patterson and Ms. Wilkinson all died within a week of the lunch. Mr. Wilkinson eventually recovered and was released from the hospital in late September.

Persons: Erin Patterson, Gail, Don Patterson, Gail Patterson’s, Heather Wilkinson, Ian Wilkinson, Patterson, Ms, Wilkinson Locations: Leongatha, Victoria

☆ After Bruising Vote, Indigenous Australians Say ‘Reconciliation Is Dead’
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Yan Zhuang | More About Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The result of the referendum was decisive, and at the same time, divisive. It bruised Indigenous Australians who for decades had hoped that a conciliatory approach would help right the wrongs of the country’s colonial history. So, the nation’s leader made a plea. “This moment of disagreement does not define us. And it will not divide us,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, visibly emotional, said this month, after voters in every state and territory except one rejected the constitutional referendum.

Persons: Anthony Albanese Organizations: ”

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