Ingested Articles

Czech lawmakers change electoral law to help small parties

PRAGUE (AP) — The upper house of Czech Parliament on Thursday approved changes in the electoral law requested by the country’s highest court that ruled the previous legislation discriminated against small political parties. The Constitutional Court in February dismissed rules…

Prince William, Kate release images to mark 10th anniversary

LONDON (AP) — The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge marked their 10th wedding anniversary Thursday by releasing photographs and a video offering an image of domestic bliss — a contrast to the tensions that have gripped Britain's royal family in…

An unusual coalition as Supreme Court rules for immigrant

An unusual coalition of Supreme Court justices has joined to rule in favor of an immigrant fighting deportation. By a 6-3 vote, the court sided with Agusto Niz-Chavez. The Guatemalan immigrant has been in the United States since 2005. Eight years later, he received a notice to appear at a deportation hearing but this notice didn't include a date or time. Two months after that, a second notice instructed him when and where to show up. The court was deciding whether immigration officials had to include all the relevant information in a single notice. Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in his majority opinion that they do

McDonald's comes roaring back as restrictions ease

The bounce back for McDonald’s as restrictions were lifted across the U.S. was so strong in the first quarter that the company surpassed sales during the same period even in 2019, long before the pandemic broadsided the country. McDonald’s revenue jumped 9% to $5.1 billion for the January-March period, better than most had expected. Last year at this time stores were closing globally and the world sheltered from spiking COVID-19 infections, so an improvement in sales during the same stretch this year was expected. How easily it topped 2019′s first-quarter sales of $4.95 billion, however, was not. 

Watchdog: US aid to Venezuela driven by more than just need

MIAMI (AP) — It was billed as the beginning of the end for Nicolás Maduro. With foreign leaders in tow and the world watching, anti-Maduro activists gathered in Colombia in February 2019 with the aim of pushing entire warehouses worth…

American coach Marsch to take over at German team Leipzig

American coach Jesse Marsch will take over at German soccer team Leipzig next season. The Bundesliga club says Marsch will switch from sister club Red Bull Salzburg on a two-year contract until June 2023. Marsch will take over from Julian Nagelsmann at Leipzig. Nagelsmann has agreed to replace Hansi Flick at Bayern Munich. Flick is expected to coach the German national team after Joachim Löw steps down following this year’s European Championship. Marsch helped Salzburg win the Austrian league and cup double last season and could repeat the feat this year. Leipzig is in second place in the Bundesliga and virtually assured of playing the Champions League next season.

Daimler Truck, Volvo to make fuel cells in Europe from 2025

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Germany's Daimler Truck AG and Sweden's Volvo Group say they plan to jointly manufacture hydrogen fuel cells for trucks in Europe starting in 2025 and called on European Union policymakers to boost incentives for climate-neutral technologies.…

Is it safe to go to big sporting events during the pandemic?

Experts are still cautioning against attending big sporting events during the pandemic, but say there are ways to make it safer if you go. They say outdoor stadiums are safer than indoor arenas. Venues that limit attendance and require masks are safer as well. Some teams are also requiring proof of vaccination or a negative test for the coronavirus. Once at the stadium, experts say to avoid indoor bars, restaurants and box seating. And if you feel sick or are waiting for results of a coronavirus test, health officials say to stay home.

More Americans sign contracts to buy homes in March

SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — More Americans signed contracts to buy homes in March after two months of declines, pointing to a healthy housing market as summer approaches and the economy continues what is shaping up to be a rapid…

FDA revives federal effort to ban menthol cigarettes

U.S. health regulators are pledging again to try to ban menthol cigarettes. This time the Food and Drug Administration is under pressure from African American groups to remove the mint flavor, which is popular among Black smokers. The move announced Thursday comes in response to new legal pressure from African American health groups. Research has shown the numbing effect of menthol makes it harder for smokers to quit. Menthol is the only cigarette flavor that wasn’t banned more than a decade ago. Government efforts to prohibit the flavor since then have faced pushback from the tobacco industry and some members of Congress.

Family denounces police custody death of man in California

The family of an unarmed 26-year-old San Francisco Bay Area man is struggling to understand how a minor confrontation with police officers led to his death. Mario Gonzalez died on the same day a jury in Minneapolis began considering similar circumstances in the George Floyd case. Officers in Alameda, California, responded to a park on April 19th to check out neighbors’ reports that Gonzalez was acting strangely. Body camera video made public this week shows he died after three officers and a civilian parking enforcement employee pinned him face down on the ground for more than five minutes. Three separate investigations are underway.

Chadian rebels claim they have shot down military helicopter

N'DJAMENA, Chad (AP) — Rebels seeking to overthrow Chad's new transitional government claimed Thursday to have shot down a military helicopter, while the junta in power warned political opponents not to renew protests after violent demonstrations earlier in the week…

EU study: GMO laws needs overhaul; environmentalists protest

BRUSSELS (AP) — A new European Union study finds that the two decade-old legislation on genetically modified organisms should be revamped, a process environmentalists claim will open the door to a new generation of bioengineered crops being allowed into the…

Biden announces 2nd round of diverse federal judiciary picks

President Joe Biden has announced another diverse group of candidates for his second round of judicial nominations, a day after some in his first slate of picks went before the U.S. Senate. The nominees announced Thursday are a woman who would be the first Asian American appointed a federal judge to the Western District of Washington, a Latino who is currently the presiding judge of the Grant County Superior Court in Ephrata, Washington, and a woman who is a longtime labor and employment litigation attorney in New Jersey. President Donald Trump appointed mostly white men to fill the jobs.

American defender Alana Cook earning her stripes at PSG

Alana Cook joined an exclusive club when she headed in a goal for Paris Saint-Germain against Barcelona last weekend. Megan Rapinoe, Christen Press and Carli Lloyd are the only other United States internationals to have scored in the semifinals or final of the Women’s Champions League. It was also the 24-year-old defender’s first goal since turning professional just over two years ago. Cook says it was “not too bad to do it in a semifinal of the Champions League.” Preventing goals will be Cook’s main focus when PSG travels to Barcelona for the second leg on Sunday after a 1-1 draw in Paris.

Dutch government pauses coronavirus app over data leak fears

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Dutch government has temporarily disabled its coronavirus warning app amid data privacy concerns for people who have the app installed on phones using the Android operating system. Health Minister Hugo de Jonge announced late…

EU Parliament: COVID-19 pass should guarantee free movement

BRUSSELS (AP) — European lawmakers said Thursday that COVID-19 certificates aimed at facilitating travel across the European Union should be enough to move freely this summer, a position likely to clash with member states' prerogatives in their upcoming negotiations. EU…

Gone Fission: Controversial nuke plant near NYC shuts down

Indian Point north of New York City will permanently stop producing nuclear power Friday. The closure caps a decades-long battle over a key source of electricity in the heart of New York City’s suburbs that opponents call a threat to millions living in the densely packed region.The retirement of the Indian Point Energy Center along the Hudson River could increase New York’s short-term reliance on natural gas plants, despite the state’s goal of reducing carbon emissions. But critics who fought for its shutdown argue any benefits from the plant are eclipsed by the prospect of a major nuclear accident or a terror strike 25 miles north of the city.

German unemployment steady in April despite lockdown

BERLIN (AP) — Unemployment in Germany remained steady in April, according to official figures Thursday, as pandemic lockdown measures in Europe’s largest economy appeared not to dent the job market. The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6% when adjusted for…

Deputy killed, another shot in North Carolina standoff

Authorities say a North Carolina sheriff’s deputy has died and a K-9 officer has been wounded after a shooting at a home led to a continuing standoff. Watauga County Sheriff's deputies were dispatched to the home in the Boone area Wednesday after the homeowner and his family didn't appear at work or answer telephone calls. A sheriff's statement says Sgt. Chris Ward and another deputy were shot when they entered the home. Authorities say other deputies Ward was pulled out, but he died at a hospital. The wounded deputy was still in the house, condition unknown as the standoff continued. 

Caterpillar 1Q sales rise as dealers boost inventory levels

Caterpillar’s sales rose in the first quarter as market conditions for the machinery company begin to improve and dealers increase their inventory levels. Revenue for the Deerfield, Illinois-based company climbed to $11.89 billion from $10.64 billion, helped by increased sales volume that was driven by higher end-user demand and changes in dealer inventories. Dealers boosted inventories by $700 million during the first quarter compared with $100 million in the prior-year period. 

Russian military says its troops back to bases after buildup

MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian military said Thursday that its troops have returned to their permanent bases after concluding massive drills near Ukraine that alarmed Western countries. Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the military's General Staff, said that more…