Pennsylvania hostage-taking and shootout highlight rising violence against US hospital workers
A man who took hostages in a Pennsylvania hospital during a shooting that killed a police officer and wounded five other people highlights the rising violence against U.S. healthcare workers and the challenge of protecting them. Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz, 49, carried a pistol and zip ties into the intensive care unit at UPMC Memorial Hospital in southern Pennsylvania’s York County and took staff members hostage Saturday before he was killed in a shootout with police, officials said. The attack also left a doctor, nurse, custodian and two other officers wounded. Officers opened fire as Archangel-Ortiz held at gunpoint a female staff member whose hands had been zip-tied, police said.
Shopping mall roof collapse in northern Peru leaves 6 dead, 78 injured
LIMA, Peru (AP) — The collapse of a food court roof at a shopping mall in northwestern Peru killed six people and left at least 78 others injured, the defense minister said Saturday. The heavy iron roof at the Real Plaza Trujillo shopping mall, a city in the La Libertad region, fell Friday night on dozens of people who were at the site. Defense Minister Walter Astudillo said at a news conference that according to the information provided by local firefighters in La Libertad, five people died on site and a sixth at a hospital after the collapse. Astudillo also said that 30 injured people have already been discharged and 48 remain hospitalized. Three remained in critical condition. The minister expressed his condolences to the victims’ families.
Plane that flipped over in Canada highlights some of the dangers of holding kids on your lap
Authorities haven’t said whether the 18-month-old child who was injured in the crash was riding on a parent’s lap. All 21 people who were hurt were released from the hospital, but young children have died in previous crashes. Despite the recent rash of aviation disasters, airline crashes remain rare, but children could easily get hurt if they are on a parent’s lap when a plane encounters turbulence. Experts agree it’s safer for children younger than 2 years old to have their own plane seats and ride in approved car seats when flying, even if families have to pay for an extra ticket. But babies are still allowed to travel in laps, so parents continue doing it despite the risks.
Passion, politics and patriotism meld as Pakistan and India clash in cricket’s fiercest rivalry
When India and Pakistan face off in Dubai on Sunday, the cricket contest will be amped up by so much more — the 78 years of bitterness between the two arch rival nations, the heightened political hostilities, and the patriotic zeal of hundreds of millions of people. Cricket-mad nations India and Pakistan are competing in the game’s 50-over format for the coveted eight-nation Champions Trophy tournament that began on Wednesday in Pakistan. While six national teams have travelled to Pakistan for the tournament, India has refused to go there by leveraging its strong influence on International Cricket Council, the game’s global governing body. Indian cricket authorities have offered no formal statement about refusing to play in Pakistan, but some officials have suggested that the decision was based on security concerns. India will play all its matches — including the one against Pakistan — at a neutral venue in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
Fired employees fear beloved Yosemite National Park will lose its luster
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — Yosemite National Park employees who recently were fired by the Trump administration worry cuts will affect the experience of visitors and the welfare of wildlife that thrive in the popular vacation destination located in California’s Sierra Nevada. Yosemite is home to giant sequoia trees and a haven for myriad wildlife species. El Capitan, a 3,000-foot (914-meter) wall of sheer granite and possibly the world’s most fabled rock face, attracts climbers from around the world. Such majestic qualities also are what attracted people to work at the beloved park that is a destination for families from California and throughout the country. The Trump administration last week fired about 1,000 newly hired National Park Service employees who maintain and clean parks, educate visitors and perform other functions as part of its broad-based effort to downsize government.
Warren Buffett offers Donald Trump some advice while celebrating Berkshire Hathaway’s success
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — In his annual letter to shareholders Saturday, Warren Buffett celebrated the successes of Berkshire Hathaway’s companies last year and in the 60 years since he took over a struggling New England textile company and began converting it into a massive conglomerate while offering some advice to President Donald Trump. Buffett opened the letter by acknowledging that he has occasionally made mistakes over the years without offering many specific examples, but he assured shareholders that the man he has chosen to one day succeed him as CEO, Greg Abel, isn’t one of them. He wrote that Abel will be ready to act whenever he spots significant investment opportunities, and he will continue writing an annual report like Buffett’s to update shareholders. Buffett’s letters are always popular among investors because of the insights he offers and his remarkable track record.
California governor asks Congress for nearly $40 billion for Los Angeles wildfire relief
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has asked Congress to approve nearly $40 billion in aid to help the Los Angeles area recover from January’s devastating wildfires, which he said could become the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. Newsom sent a letter Friday asking for support from lawmakers including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), the House Appropriations Committee chair. “Los Angeles is one of the most economically productive places on the globe, but it can only rebound and flourish with support from the federal government as it recovers from this unprecedented disaster,” Newsom wrote.
Thieves used a stolen card to buy a $523,000 lottery ticket. The victim wants to share the winnings
PARIS (AP) — Thieves used a stolen card to buy a winning French lottery ticket worth 500,000 euros ($523,000). But they vanished before cashing in —- and now they’re among France’s most famous fugitives. The man whose card was stolen, identified in police documents as Jean-David E., is offering to split the cash with the lucky winners. He wants his wallet back, too. The thieves, meanwhile, face the risk of arrest. As of Saturday, the state lottery operator La Française des Jeux, or FDJ, said that no one had submitted the ticket to cash out. ″It’s an incredible story, but it’s all true,″ Jean-David’s lawyer, Pierre Debuisson, told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Warren Buffett offers lessons on investing in his annual Berkshire Hathaway letter
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Billionaire Warren Buffett is viewed as one of the world’s greatest investors, so his annual letters to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders are always read closely for lessons. Buffett no longer ventures much into politics or current events in his letters, so he won’t offend anyone who might take it out on his many companies that include well-known ones like Geico insurance, Dairy Queen and Helzberg jewelry. But Buffett’s latest letter released Saturday does offer insights into investing and some lessons from his six decades at the helm of Berkshire. Here’s a sample:
Leading contenders make their final appeals to German voters before a landmark election
BERLIN (AP) — The contenders in Germany’s election made their final appeals to voters Saturday, with opposition leader and front-runner Friedrich Merz vowing to revive the stagnant economy and defend Europe’s interests in the face of a confrontational U.S. administration. Chancellor OIaf Scholz, meanwhile, insisted that he still hopes for an improbable last-minute comeback. Germans are electing a new parliament Sunday after a campaign focused on the state of Europe’s biggest economy and calls to curb migration, while uncertainty has grown rapidly about the future of Ukraine and the strength of Europe’s alliance with the United States.