KYTHIRA, Greece (AP) — Strong winds hampered efforts around two Greek islands Friday to find at least 10 migrants believed to be missing at sea after shipwrecks left at least 23 people dead, officials said. A dinghy and a sailboat sank in two separate incidents late Wednesday and early Thursday off the islands of Lesbos, near the coast of Turkey, and Kythira, south of the Greek mainland — prompting a dramatic nighttime rescue, with survivors hauled to safety up cliffs. Coast guard, navy and volunteer rescuers focused efforts around a rugged cove on Kythira where the sailboat smashed into rocks and broke up, leaving bodies floating in the wreckage on Thursday. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who was in Prague for a meeting of European leaders, blamed Turkey for failing to stop boats crammed with migrants from leaving its coastline. “Once again, I call on Turkey to cooperate with Greece to stop these ruthless networks of traffickers of people in distress so no more … [Read more...] about Greece: Gales stall efforts to find missing migrants
Judge to decide next steps on Ohio ‘heartbeat’ abortion ban
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A judge in Ohio was scheduled to hear arguments Friday on whether to extend a block on Ohio's law banning virtually all abortions on a more permanent basis. Hamilton County Judge Christian Jenkins previously decided to pause the law through Oct. 12, after it took effect in the wake of federal abortion protections being overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in June. That marked the second 14-day pause Jenkins had ordered in a lawsuit brought by the ACLU of Ohio on behalf of the state’s remaining abortion providers. He found their lawsuit was “substantially likely to prevail on the merits.” He must now decide whether to issue a permanent injunction that would pause the law as the litigation proceeds. The suit argues that the abortion ban violates protections in the state constitution guaranteeing individual liberty and equal protection. It also says the law … [Read more...] about Judge to decide next steps on Ohio ‘heartbeat’ abortion ban
A Fascinating Detail in the Herschel Walker Saga
The Daily Beast reporter who broke the story of Herschel Walker paying for a girlfriend’s abortion has provided behind-the-scenes details and thoughts on the case. Politics reporter Roger Sollenberger pointed to the key detail in the cobweb of Walker stories to host Andy Levy on this week’s episode of political podcast The New Abnormal : the woman behind the allegations. After The Daily Beast reported the details surrounding Walker and the girlfriend’s abortion in 2009, the anti-abortion Georgia Senate candidate went on the defensive, denying the allegations and claiming he was unaware who that woman could be. Then Sollenberger says, as reported in a Thursday article , “that prompted the woman to offer additional details about her relationship to Walker and why her accusation is so credible: She agreed to publicly disclose that she and Walker also had a child together .” Speaking to Levy, Sollenberger said the woman “is incredible. She’s incredibly brave. It’s … [Read more...] about A Fascinating Detail in the Herschel Walker Saga
Teen’s mother disputes Iran, says she died of blows to head
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The mother of a 16-year-old Iranian girl has disputed official claims that her daughter fell to her death from a high building, saying the teen was killed by blows to the head as part of the crackdown on anti-hijab protests roiling the country. Nasreen Shakarami also said authorities kept her daughter Nika’s death a secret for nine days and then snatched the body from a morgue to bury her in a remote area, against the family’s wishes. The bereaved mother spoke in a video message Thursday to Radio Farda, the Persian-language arm of the U.S.-funded station Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Nika Shakarami has become the latest icon of the protests, seen as the gravest threat to Iran’s ruling elites in years. Attempts by authorities in recent days to portray the teen’s death as an accident could signal concern that the incident could further fuel anger against the government. The protests, which enter their fourth week Saturday, were sparked by … [Read more...] about Teen’s mother disputes Iran, says she died of blows to head
Flood-ravaged Pakistan contests ratings downgrade by Moody’s
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan on Friday contested a downgrading of its rating by Moody’s Investors Service, insisting it has adequate reserves and financing to pay back foreign debt despite the worst flooding in its history. Such downgrades tend to shake the confidence of investors because the action is seen as a warning that Pakistan is more likely to default on its foreign debts. Pakistan’s angry reaction comes a day after Moody’s revised Pakistan’s sovereign credit rating by one notch to the still-high credit risk status of Caa1 from B3, citing the impoverished nation's decreasing foreign exchange reserves facing Pakistan's economy in the bruising aftermath of the deadly floods. The deluge killed 1,700 people, left half a million homeless and cost some $30 billion. The Finance Ministry in a strongly-worded statement said the “rating action by Moody’s is strongly … [Read more...] about Flood-ravaged Pakistan contests ratings downgrade by Moody’s