North America

HONOLULU (AP) — Wildfires in Hawaii fanned by strong winds burned multiple structures, forced evacuations and caused power outages in several communities late Tuesday as firefighters struggled to reach some areas that were cut off by downed trees and power lines.

The National Weather Service said Hurricane Dora, which was passing to the south of the island chain at a safe distance of 500 miles (805 kilometers), was partly to blame for gusts above 60 mph (97 kph) that knocked out power as night fell, rattled homes and grounded firefighting helicopters.

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 08 (APP): A United Nations spokesperson Tuesday reiterated the world body’s concerns over the deteriorating human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir, saying “the concerns we have expressed still stand.”

The UN Deputy Spokesperson, Farhan Haq, made that statement in response to a question about India’s unilateral action in abolishing the special status of Kashmir on August 5, 2019, in violation of UN resolutions and international law.

LOS ANGELES, Aug 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — City of Los Angeles workers are joining the hotel employees, Hollywood actors and TV and movie writers who have walked off their jobs this summer.

Thousands of them plan to strike Tuesday, potentially grinding municipal operations to a halt for 24 hours and adding to the flurry of organized labor activity across the city and country.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. court on Monday blocked a Biden administration rule that aimed to make it easier for defrauded borrowers to obtain student loan debt relief.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit issued an injunction to prevent the government from implementing regulations that took effect last month while it considers a lawsuit brought by Career Colleges and Schools of Texas, which represents 70 for-profit colleges, reported The Washington Post, one of the leading newspapers in the country.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — In a scathing ruling last month, a judge said the FBI had used a ”villain” of an informant to manipulate a group of Muslim men into going along with a fictitious plot to destroy military planes and synagogues in New York City’s suburbs. She ordered three released from prison, saying “the real lead conspirator was the United States.”

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Gov. Tate Reeves is hoping to breeze past two political newcomers in the state’s primary election Tuesday and secure the Republican nomination as he seeks a second term, setting up a general election contest with Democrat Brandon Presley.

Reeves says Mississippi has momentum with a low unemployment rate and steady job growth, while Presley — a cousin of rock ’n’ roll icon Elvis Presley — says Reeves is out of touch with people who struggle to make ends meet in one of the poorest states of the U.S.

TUSAYAN, Ariz. (AP) — President Joe Biden will use his visit to Arizona on Tuesday to formally announce a national monument designation for the greater Grand Canyon, making Native American tribes’ and environmentalists’ decades-long vision to preserve the land a reality.

Biden is expected to announce plans for a new national monument to preserve about 1,562 square miles (4,046 square kilometers) just outside Grand Canyon National Park, National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi confirmed a day earlier. It will mark the president’s fifth monument designation.

WASHINGTON (AP) — At least two people died, thousands of U.S. flights were canceled or delayed, and more than 1.1 million homes and businesses lost power Monday as severe storms, including hail and lightning, moved through the eastern U.S.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for the greater D.C. area, lasting until 9 p.m. A special Weather Service statement warned, “There is a significant threat for damaging and locally destructive hurricane-force winds, along with the potential for large hail and tornadoes, even strong tornadoes.”

Washington (AP) —Donald Trump’s legal team told a judge overseeing the election conspiracy case against him on Monday that prosecutors’ proposed protective order aimed at preventing the public disclosure of evidence is too broad and would restrict his First Amendment rights.

WASHINGTON, Aug 7 (Reuters) - The first Republican debate of the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign is shaping up as a crucial moment for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who badly needs some momentum in his challenge to former President Donald Trump for the party's nomination.

Complicating the matter for DeSantis: Trump, by far the front-runner in the race for the right to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden, appears unwilling to provide him with a target.