Month: February 2020

JACKSON, Miss. – Weeks of heavy rain have inundated a large portion of the southern U.S., bringing near-record flooding to portions of Mississippi and Tennessee.  In Jackson, Mississippi, hundreds of residents either watched their homes flood over the weekend or worried their residence would soon be drenched as the Pearl River crested Monday at 36.8…

An Indiana professor who called the police after a student declined to change seats during class last month has been suspended, the school said. In a statement released Thursday, Ball State University in Muncie said marketing professor Shaheen Borna will not teach for the rest of the semester. “This decision is in the best interest…

MAGNOLIA, Miss. (AP) — The daughter of a Mississippi man on trial in the shooting deaths of eight people testified Monday that he was abusive and beat her frequently. My’Khyiah Godbolt took the stand at a courthouse in Magnolia, the Daily Leader newspaper reported, to testify against her father, Willie Cory Godbolt. Godbolt, 37, is…

WASHINGTON – Pete Buttigieg said Sunday he would not take “lectures on family values” from long-time conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, who said that Democrats and America aren’t ready for a gay president. Limbaugh, who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech, said on his show that Democrats are scared to elect…

Former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg had a simple response on Sunday when asked about conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh’s questioning whether Americans are ready to back a gay candidate for president. “Well, I love my husband. I’m faithful to my husband,” Buttigieg said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” The openly gay…

Havana (AFP) – The Cuban government has ordered a cement factory to burn old tires to power its operations and save on oil, amid a worsening fuel shortage brought on by US sanctions on the Communist island. On orders of President Miguel Diaz-Canel, the firm Cementos Cienfuegos, located in the center of the country, will…

ISTANBUL (AP) — A court in Istanbul on Tuesday acquitted nine leading Turkish civil society activists of terrorism-related charges related to anti-government protests, including a renowned philanthropist who has been jailed for more than two years. Critics saw the charges and resulting trial as a momentous bid by those in power to crack down on…

By Ali Kucukgocmen SILIVRI, Turkey (Reuters) – A Turkish court on Tuesday acquitted businessman Osman Kavala and eight others over their alleged role in the Gezi Park protests of 2013, delivering a surprise verdict in a case that had drawn criticism from Western allies and rights groups. Applause erupted in the courtroom and some people…

(Bloomberg) — An Istanbul court acquitted prominent businessman Osman Kavala of charges of plotting to overthrow the government during mass protests that shook the country in 2013. Nine defendants were cleared, and arrest warrants for others living abroad have been rescinded. Others accused in the case include actor Mehmet Ali Alabora and journalist Can Dundar,…

A Virginia state senate committee voted on Monday to delay a bill that would have banned the sale of certain semi-automatic weapons, in a significant setback for gun-control measures pushed by Governor Ralph Northam. Four moderate Democrats joined Republicans on the State Judiciary Committee to delay the bill for one year, while the state’s crime…