Nearly half a million Russians killed in Ukraine war, UK spy chief says

A day after ICE officials pepper-spray senator, tensions ramp up outside facility on fifth day of hunger and labor strikeChaos breaks out at New Jersey immigration detention center – in picturesProtests against immigration enforcement at a facility where detainees are on a hunger and labor strike erupted in fresh violence on Tuesday night as federal officers sprayed chemicals and charged demonstrators outside the jail in New Jersey.Following hours of relative quiet, a day after masked and armored Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel pepper-sprayed US senator Andy Kim, tension ramped up again outside the Delaney Hall facility on the fifth day of the strike. Continue reading...

Refunds came after the supreme court ruled Trump overstepped his authority in enacting sweeping tariffsUS importers are expected to receive $85bn in tariff refunds after the supreme court struck down Donald Trump’s tariffs in February, according to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the agency that collects tariffs.Importers and shippers have so far been refunded $20bn, according to court documents filed on Tuesday, with about $65bn more on the way. Continue reading...

Anthony Odiong, 57, charged in Texas with exploiting status to pursue sex with vulnerable female congregantsA Roman Catholic priest replied “we are but men” when confronted after having been caught having sex with one of his parishioners in Texas by one of the congregant’s sons, according to court testimony on Wednesday.That version of events emerged at the second day of the trial of Anthony Odiong, who has been criminally charged with illicitly abusing his status as a clergyman to pursue sex with vulnerable female congregants. Continue reading...

Authorities have said they are still investigating the motive of the attack on Kerry Sheron, 69, by Thomas Butler A southern California man has died after an assault last week in front of his San Diego area home, which was well known for its extensive collection of US flags and signs supporting Donald Trump.Authorities confirmed on Monday that Kerry Sheron, a 69-year-old US army veteran, died days after he was attacked on Wednesday outside his home in Escondido. Police have arrested Thomas Butler, a 32-year-old who media outlets have identified as a navy veteran, on multiple charges including attempted murder, elder abuse and battery. Continue reading...

Ex-MP is charged with 18 sexual offences involving two alleged victims, and his wife with aiding and abetting Jeffrey Donaldson sexually assaulted a child and years later apologised to her at a church-brokered meeting, a court has heard.The former MP and Democratic Unionist party leader allegedly committed the abuse with complicity from his wife, Eleanor Donaldson, a prosecutor told Newry crown court in County Down on Wednesday. Continue reading...

As government begins restoring connection, population voices dismay over food price increases and shortagesThe partial lifting of internet restrictions in Iran has revealed a rising tide of anger about food price inflation as ordinary Iranians decry annual price increases of 308% for vegetable oil, 190% for chicken, and 170% for rice.Iranian authorities on Tuesday began restoring the connection to the global internet that was severed on the first day of the US-Israeli war against the Islamic Republic on 28 February, as it had been during mass protests in January. Continue reading...

Some experts criticize White House approach and say not allowing Americans to return to US hurts treatment effortsThe Trump administration is building a quarantine and treatment center in Kenya for Americans affected by the Ebola outbreak, instead of bringing them home.The White House on Wednesday confirmed that the US is setting up a facility in Kenya for Americans to quarantine after Ebola exposure in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Continue reading...

Sharyn Alfonsi confirms contract expiration after decrying network over ‘the spread of corporate meddling’ last monthThe Veteran 60 Minutes correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi has accused CBS News of penalizing her for “refusing to sanitize factually accurate reporting” and sending a “chilling message” to the newsroom by declining to renew her contract for the show.Alfonsi was at the center of a national firestorm after the CBS News editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, shelved a segment she had reported on a notorious prison in El Salvador. She confirmed to the Guardian that she had not been offered a contract to return for the show’s 59th season, which begins in the fall. Continue reading...

Igor Lytvynchuk is scheduled to appear in court on charges of harassing and attempting to harass a protected animalSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailThe lawyer for a tourist accused of hurling a rock at an endangered Hawaiian monk seal says his client was trying to protect sea turtles and has since been assaulted, threatened and doxed.Igor Lytvynchuk, 38, of Covington, Washington, is scheduled to appear in court in Honolulu on Wednesday on charges of harassing and attempting to harass a protected animal. Continue reading...

People in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent say school that the signage on their street relates to moved long agoHassan Ali was on holiday in Budapest when he was contacted by his neighbour about a sign that had been painted on the road directly outside his semi-detached home in Staffordshire.The bright yellow sign, which read: “School: Keep Clear”, was painted on Greendock Street in the early hours of Friday morning, his neighbour informed him – a bewildering update considering there was no school to keep clear of and had not been one for the past 15 years. Continue reading...

Relatives pay tribute to Shanice Brookes, 30, a charity worker and mum who had ‘energy you could never forget’The family of a woman who was an innocent bystander when she was fatally shot outside a bar in Sheffield city centre at the weekend have paid tribute to her.South Yorkshire police on Wednesday named the victim as Shanice Brookes, a 30-year-old charity worker. Her family described Brookes, who lived in Sheffield, as “one of a kind” with the “biggest heart” and “energy you could never forget”. Continue reading...