News (Page 3)

As 72-year-old Nonki Kunene walks through the corridors of Thabisang Primary School in Soweto, South Africa, she recalls the joy she and many others felt 30 years ago when they voted for the first time. It was at this school on April 27, 1994 that Kunene joined millions of SouthContinue Reading

Harvey Weinstein’s landmark New York sexual assault conviction was thrown out by an appeals court Thursday, and most of the dozens of civil cases filed against him since he became a central target in the #MeToo movement in 2017 have either been settled or dismissed. That doesn’t mean the 72-year-oldContinue Reading

A selection of South African artworks produced during the country’s apartheid era which ended up in foreign art collections is on display in Johannesburg to mark 30 years since the country’s transition to democracy in 1994. Most of the artworks were taken out of the country by foreign tourists andContinue Reading

Actor Paola Cortellesi has long been a staple on the Italian pop culture scene, mostly known for her work as a comedian. Then she turned to directing and her first feature movie, “There’s Still Tomorrow,” took Italy by storm. The black-and-white film about an ordinary woman trapped in a toxicContinue Reading

Almost five years after Elijah McClain died following a police stop in which he was put in a neck hold and injected with the powerful sedative ketamine, three of the five Denver-area responders prosecuted in the Black man’s death have been convicted. Experts say the convictions would have been unheardContinue Reading

Chicken Kiev, AI-generated press releases and the annoyance of fan selfies while performing — there was a lot on the minds of the Pet Shop Boys as the iconic British duo prepared to release a new album. Their 15th studio album, “Nonetheless,” comes Friday — 40 years (and 50 millionContinue Reading

#MeToo founder Tarana Burke has heard it before. Every time there’s a legal setback, the movement is declared dead in the water. A legal success, and presto, it’s alive again. So Burke, who nearly two decades ago coined the phrase “Me too” from her work with sexual assault survivors, foundContinue Reading

How sexy can a qualifying tennis tournament in New Rochelle, New York, be? When the on-court drama involves Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist, the answer turns out to be quite a bit more than your average USTA singles match in Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers.” The film, directed by Guadagnino fromContinue Reading

This spring, NBC News, The New York Times and National Public Radio have each dealt with turmoil for essentially the same reason: journalists taking the critical gaze they deploy to cover the world and turning it inward at their own employers. Whistleblowing isn’t unique to any industry. Yet the contraryContinue Reading

The students at an encampment at Columbia University who inspired a wave of pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the country dug in for their 10th day Friday, as administrators and police at college campuses from California to Connecticut wrestle with how to address protests that have seen scuffles with police and hundredsContinue Reading

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd is set to host a news conference on Friday morning to discuss a recent drug-trafficking investigation. According to the sheriff’s office, the investigation involved a trafficking ring bringing fentanyl from Mexico into Polk County and other parts of Florida. The sheriff’s office announced that theContinue Reading

The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday sided with Allstate Insurance Co. in an attempt to fend off a potential class-action lawsuit about limiting payments for care after people are injured in auto accidents. The court’s 23-page ruling came amid numerous legal battles in recent years between insurers and health-care providersContinue Reading

Millions of Indians began voting Friday in the second round of multi-phase national elections as polarization grows with Prime Minister Narendra Modi whipping up an assertive brand of Hindu nationalist politics in his campaign. People lined up outside polling stations as voting opened at 7 a.m. The turnout was expectedContinue Reading

“Street Cop Training” is coming to Kissimmee. The conference starts Sunday at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee. It’ll span five days, with multiple presentations including a leadership seminar by Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivy. The controversial training has been prohibited in nine states including New Jersey, where the company founder, Dennis Benigno, wasContinue Reading

Guatemalan prosecutors raided the offices of the charity Save the Children on Thursday, citing a complaint alleging the violation of migrant children’s rights. Prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche said in a video to media that the complaint filed by an unidentified foreigner had raised serious concerns because it involved allegations of abuseContinue Reading

Tennessee’s GOP-controlled Statehouse on Thursday gave their final approval to legislation penalizing adults who help minors receive gender-affirming care without parental consent, clearing the way for the first-in-the-nation proposal to be sent to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk for his signature. The bill mirrors almost the same language from a so-calledContinue Reading

April is National Pickleball Month. It’s a time to celebrate the rapidly growing sport that is keeping so many of our older adults and seniors active and healthy. “It checks a lot of boxes in terms of cardiovascular health, strength and then balance, said Dr. George Eldayrie, a primary careContinue Reading

The United States and China butted heads over a number of contentious bilateral, regional and global issues as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Friday with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and both men warned of the dangers of misunderstandings and miscalculations. The meeting, on the final day ofContinue Reading

Research says having friends and personal connections as you age could be keys to staying healthy. This next story may help confirm that. This week’s Getting Results Award winner has been volunteering with the City of Port Orange Police Department for decades. Mary Wittmeyer says it keeps her young. InContinue Reading

A new way for people to connect with nature was unveiled Thursday in west Orange County. Officials opened the county’s first bird blind at Johns Lake Conservation Area at 880 Avalon Road. A bird blind is used in nature-based recreation to allow birdwatchers to observe wildlife without being seen. DistrictContinue Reading

Ukraine has sidelined U.S.-provided Abrams M1A1 battle tanks for now in its fight against Russia, in part because Russian drone warfare has made it too difficult for them to operate without detection or coming under attack, two U.S. military officials told The Associated Press. The U.S. agreed to send 31Continue Reading

The University of Southern California’s decision Thursday to cancel its main graduation ceremony, a move that came 10 days after administrators said the student valedictorian who had expressed support for Palestinians would not be allowed to speak, left students and alumni stunned as protests over the Israel-Hamas war continue toContinue Reading

Thousands of Indigenous people marched on Thursday in Brazil’s capital, calling on the government to officially recognize lands they have lived on for centuries and to protect territories from criminal activities such as illegal mining. With posters bearing messages like “The future is Indigenous,” they walked towards Three Powers Square,Continue Reading

The construction of a new port in Gaza and an accompanying U.S. military-built pier offshore are underway, but the complex plan to bring more desperately needed food to Palestinian civilians is still mired in fears over security and how the humanitarian aid will be delivered. The Israeli-developed port, for example,Continue Reading

Republican attorneys general from 17 states filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging new federal rules entitling workers to time off and other accommodations for abortions, calling the rules an illegal interpretation of a 2022 federal law. The lawsuit led by Tennessee and Arkansas comes since finalized federal regulations were published onContinue Reading

The U.S. is expected to announce Friday that it will provide about $6 billion in long-term military aid to Ukraine, U.S. officials said, adding that it will include much sought after munitions for Patriot air defense systems. The officials said the aid package will be funded through the Ukraine SecurityContinue Reading

A DeBary couple came back from vacation earlier this week to find that their home had been burglarized — and a former police officer is the suspect, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office. In an affidavit, deputies said they responded to a home in DeBary on Wednesday evening after receivingContinue Reading

The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday voted to restore “net neutrality” rules that prevent broadband internet providers such as Comcast and Verizon from favoring some sites and apps over others. The move effectively reinstates a net neutrality order the commission first issued in 2015 during the Obama administration. In 2017,Continue Reading

The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city’s port. The Balsa 94, a bulk carrier sailing under a Panama flag,Continue Reading

It’s now illegal to sell weight-loss and muscle-building supplements to minors in New York, under a first-in-the-nation law that went into effect this week. Experts say loose federal regulation of dietary supplements has resulted in these products sometimes including unapproved ingredients, like steroids and heavy metals, putting kids at risk.Continue Reading

The battle to fix flooding issues in Volusia County is still going on more than a year and a half after Hurricane Ian left neighborhoods devastated. This week, the Florida Department of Transportation started a major project to clean up and drain the Nova Canal that runs through three cities.Continue Reading

Donald Trump on Thursday claimed the 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, was “nothing” compared to ongoing pro-Palestinian campus protests, the latest instance in which he has downplayed a racist incident that was one of the most criticized moments of his presidency. Speaking in a Manhattan courtroom hallway atContinue Reading

As Donald Trump seeks a return to the White House, criminal charges are piling up for the people who tried to help him stay there in 2020 by promoting false theories of voter fraud. At least five states won in 2020 by President Joe Biden have investigated efforts to installContinue Reading

Google’s corporate parent Alphabet Inc. on Thursday released a quarterly report showing it’s still reaping double-digit revenue gains from its digital advertising empire while sowing potentially lucrative new ground in artificial intelligence. The results for the first three months of the year provided the latest evidence that Google has regainedContinue Reading

An Army reservist and friend of the gunman behind Maine’s deadliest mass shooting testified Thursday about his friend’s mental decline, describing publicly for the first time the warning he issued a month before the tragedy unfolded. Sean Hodgson texted leaders of his reserve unit six weeks before the shooting thatContinue Reading

A house once owned by Khalil Bin Laden — brother of the infamous Osama Bin Laden — is now being demolished. The property sits by a lake in Oakland near Clermont, and the home was reportedly first built in the 1920s and owned by a chemist for Jell-O. “From there,Continue Reading

The two NASA astronauts assigned to Boeing’s first human spaceflight arrived at their launch site Thursday, just over a week before their scheduled liftoff. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will serve as test pilots for Boeing’s Starliner capsule, which is making its debut with crew after years of delay. TheyContinue Reading

Microsoft on Thursday said its profit rose 20% for the January-March quarter as it tries to position itself as a leader in applying artificial intelligence technology to make workplaces more productive. The company reported quarterly net income of $21.93 billion, or $2.94 per share, beating Wall Street expectations for earningsContinue Reading

Kim Kardashian marshaled her celebrity in one administration to spotlight criminal justice reform — and she’s doing it again in the next. The reality TV star and entrepreneur joined Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday for a roundtable highlighting the administration’s efforts on criminal justice reform and how President JoeContinue Reading

There was talk of drone strikes and presidential bribes, of a potential ruling “for the ages” and of the Founding Fathers, too. The presidential race went unmentioned but was not far from mind. The Supreme Court heard more than 2 1/2 hours worth of arguments on the landmark question ofContinue Reading

Shawn Levy is no novice when it comes to rumors around his projects. Years on “Stranger Things” taught him how to tune out the noise. Yet even he’s found himself astonished by the sheer volume of speculation around “Deadpool & Wolverine.” “The rumors around this movie are overwhelming,” Levy saidContinue Reading

The CCTV footage shown at the domestic abuse trial was disturbing: The defendant is seen dragging his wife by her hair, and then punching and kicking her. Hours after it was recorded, she died of brain trauma. The trial of businessman Kuandyk Bishimbayev, Kazakhstan’s former economy minister, in the deathContinue Reading

A 15-year-old boy will spend the next six years in jail for the death of a teen girl in a fatal stabbing last month in Orange County. Anthony Rushing, 15, pleaded no contest and was sentenced to jail until he is 21, with several conditions such as probation. He receivedContinue Reading

Even amid war, Ukraine finds time for the glittery, pop-filled Eurovision Song Contest. Perhaps now even more than ever. Ukraine’s entrants in the pan-continental music competition — the female duo of rapper alyona alyona and singer Jerry Heil — set off from Kyiv for the competition on Thursday. In wartime,Continue Reading

Ridley Scott’s “Alien” is back in theaters Friday for its 45th anniversary and to get audiences excited about the new installment coming in August. The Alien franchise has sunk its teeth into different genres over the years, but for “Alien: Romulus,” filmmaker Fede Álvarez wanted to take it back toContinue Reading

Months before they pitched their tents on Columbia University’s main lawn, inspiring a wave of protest encampments at college campuses nationwide, a small group of pro-Palestinian student activists met privately to sketch out the logistical details of a round-the-clock occupation. In hours of planning sessions, they discussed communications strategies andContinue Reading

Abortion continues to be a key part of Democrats’ election playbook in North Carolina, which for 2024 will include what abortion-rights advocates call an unprecedented investment in get-out-the-vote efforts. Planned Parenthood affiliated groups in North Carolina announced on Thursday a $10 million campaign in the state that largely focuses onContinue Reading

Construction on a 40,000 square-foot, two-story pickleball facility in The Villages is halfway there. Leaders from Stevens Construction and The Pickleball Club gathered at the work site Thursday to celebrate the milestone. The Pickleball Club is building the massive complex at NE 62nd Terrace near Saddlebrook Executive Golf Course. TheContinue Reading

The United States will pull the majority of its troops from Chad and Niger as it works to restore key agreements governing what role there might be for the American military and its counterterrorism operations, two U.S. officials said. Both African countries have been integral to the U.S. military’s effortsContinue Reading

BNSF will become the second major freight railroad to allow some of its employees to report safety concerns anonymously through a federal system without fear of discipline. The Federal Railroad Administration announced Thursday that the railroad owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway had agreed to let its roughly 650 dispatchersContinue Reading

On a comfortably cool April morning, before the rope drops at the Magic Kingdom and guests filter in, 24 teams made up of Disney cast members boarded canoes to take part in Walt Disney World’s oldest cast tradition. Canoe Races of the World, aka C.R.O.W., is almost as old asContinue Reading