Author: Grace Thompson

A bus carrying 27 passengers fell into the Indus river in northern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing 14 people, according to a statement from the Gilgit-Baltistan authorities. Twelve of the remaining passengers are missing, and one passenger has survived the accident with injuries, as mentioned in the statement from the authorities. The accident occurred due to speeding, and the driver losing control of the vehicle, according to the authorities. According to the local broadcaster Geo, the bus was part of a wedding procession headed toward Pakistan’s Chakwal district when it fell into the river from Telchi bridge at the limits of Diamer district. Fatal road accidents are common in Pakistan, where traffic rules are rarely followed and roads in many rural areas are in poor condi...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison. “Forever” by Judi Blume. “Slaughterhouse-Five” by Kurt Vonnegut. All have been pulled from the shelves of some Florida schools, according to the latest list compiled by the Florida Department of Education tallying books removed by local school districts. Recent changes to state law have empowered parents and residents to challenge school library books and required districts to submit an annual report to the state detailing which books have been restricted in their schools. Florida continues to lead the country in pulling books from school libraries, according to analyses by the American Library Association and the advocacy group PEN America. “A restriction of access is a restriction on one’s freedom to read,” sai...

The recall last week of two Bay Area officials who both championed progressive crime policies reflects long-held frustrations around a previous increase in violence targeting the Asian American community, experts say. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price were ousted by roughly 2 to 1 in races last week. The vote is indicative of Asian Americans’ rightward shift toward tougher crime policies like much of the state, analysts say. They are the area’s fastest growing racial group, making up 34.5% of the county and almost 16% of Oakland. While the nine counties in the Bay Area favored Vice President Kamala Harris, for example, all shifted right last week toward President-elect Donald Trump since the 2020 presidential election. San Francisco ...

Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to run the Justice Department , has previously been investigated over allegations of sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl — a federal probe that ultimately did not yield criminal charges. Gaetz — a House member from Florida who has been one of Trump’s most loyal foot soldiers on Capitol Hill — has long denied the allegations and was told Feb. 15, 2023 , that the Justice Department was ending its investigation without charging him. “We have just spoken with the DOJ and have been informed that they have concluded their investigation into Congressman Gaetz and allegations related to sex trafficking and obstruction of justice and they have determined not to bring any charges against him,” Gaetz’s attorneys said then. Befor...

Authorities are investigating the discovery of human remains, including parts of skulls, in Jal, New Mexico, that could be linked to a missing persons case from 2019. The Lea County Sheriff's Office said in a release Tuesday that it was contacted on Nov. 5 by a resident of the city who had an "unsettling encounter" with a man while offering him a ride. The resident said the man was "carrying two bags, made alarming statements and discarded objects from the vehicle, some of which appeared to be human bones," according to the sheriff's office. A search of the area, including a convenience store and the man's reported location, turned up bone fragments, the office said. A pathologist later confirmed the bone fragments were human. The man had been living at a property that s...

A New Jersey school district faces legal action from three separate lawsuits filed this year, following the firing of its openly gay school superintendent. In a lawsuit filed in May, John Berenato, the former superintendent of the Manchester Township School District, accused the district of sexual orientation discrimination that led to his firing in November of last year. He accounted experiencing “open hostility and bias" and claimed that the district had caved to "local political pressure" that sought to prevent "those with different sexual orientations" from working in the district's administration. According to court documents, board members expressed religious beliefs in opposition to homosexuality and discussed fears of Berenato “pushing a gay agenda.” The complaint alleg...

Former NBA player and Duke University basketball star Kyle Singler said he "fear[s] for my life every day" in an Instagram video he posted Tuesday, sparking support from the basketball community. In the video, Singler, 36, was shirtless and spoke slowly as he claimed he felt his voice was "again silenced." "I have been mistreated and abused, neglected, made into a mental example," Singler said. "And I fear for my life every day. And people in my community make me look out as if I’m going to be someone that’s going to be a problem and make things difficult for people when I’m only trying to be helpful." "I feel like I have a certain way about myself and strength and purpose that does not get valued or get treated properly," he continued. The video, which ended abruptly af...

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump's choice of Matt Gaetz — a House member from Florida who was recently the target of an FBI investigation — to be the next attorney general of the United States sent shock waves through the Justice Department on Wednesday. "OMG," a current senior Justice Department official said. A second department official called the selection “truly stunning,” and a third labeled it “insane.” Gaetz, who was the subject of a federal sex trafficking investigation that ended without charges , has been a fierce Trump supporter and has regularly attacked both the Justice Department and the FBI, including calling for the FBI to be defunded and abolished . “What the f--- is happening?!” asked a senior Justice Department official, who, like ...

HONG KONG — Chinese authorities scrambled Wednesday to quell public outrage over the country’s deadliest mass killing in a decade , as well as the delay in reporting it. Flowers and other offerings were removed almost as soon as they were laid at a makeshift memorial in the southern city of Zhuhai, where 35 people were killed Monday evening when a car rammed into a crowd of people exercising outside a sports center. The initial statement from authorities said the driver had been detained at the scene and that those who were injured had been taken to the hospital. State media downplayed the incident. It wasn’t until almost 24 hours later, on Tuesday night, that authorities reported the death toll in the incident, which also injured 43 other people. State media reported th...