Marine’s release from Russian prison reignites calls to free other Americans with health problems

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The recent release of Marine veteran Robert Gilman from Russian custody ended more than four years of imprisonment, but his visibly frail condition has raised alarming questions for the families of Americans still detained there.
Watching the news coverage from the United States, Harold Jezler saw Gilman's gaunt appearance and immediately worried about what it meant for his 36-year-old wife, Olga, who has been held in Russia since 2022 while suffering from her own deteriorating health issues.
“You just look at the pictures and the guy is not in good shape. It’s concerning for me and for all the families, I would imagine,” Jezler said in an interview with The Associated Press. “Is this what it takes for the government to really make a move and prioritize this — that the person is basically in dire straits? It was a very bittersweet thing to see that.”
Although Gilman’s freedom follows a series of prisoner releases over recent years, numerous Americans remain incarcerated in Russia…

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2 arrested in Hong Kong fight over elderly woman slapping girl

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AdvertisementCrime in Hong KongHong KongLaw and Crime2 arrested in Hong Kong fight over elderly woman slapping girlViral footage shows elderly woman shoving and then slapping girl at shopping centre, before another woman retaliates
1-MIN READ1-MIN ListenDanny MokPublished: 11:31pm, 26 Aug 2026Updated: 11:44pm, 26 Aug 2026Hong Kong police have arrested two women on suspicion of assault at a shopping centre in Kwun Tong, with a viral clip showing a fight breaking out after a five-year-old girl was shoved and then knocked to the ground.
The fight took place at the atrium of the APM shopping centre at around 4.45pm on Wednesday as a crowd of parents and young children gathered around a play area.
A source said one of the suspects, aged 68, was visiting the play area with her 34-year-old daughter and grandson.
A dispute reportedly erupted between the boy and a five-year-old girl over use of the installation, prompting his grandmother to get involved.
In the clip, an elderly woman can be see..

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US declares drought disaster for parts of Puerto Rico as dry conditions persist

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The U.S. government announced a drought disaster on Wednesday for more than two dozen cities and towns in Puerto Rico as water woes deepen across the U.S. territory, with no relief in sight.
More than 33% of Puerto Rico is under extreme drought, and another 30% under a severe drought. July was the driest month on record for San Juan in more than 120 years and the second hottest for the island's capital.
Gov. Jenniffer González said she had formally requested the declaration from the U.S. Department of Agriculture more than two weeks ago.
“From the very beginning, we made clear the needs of our farmers,” she said.
The declaration covers 26 of Puerto Rico’s 78 municipalities, including Cabo Rojo, Ponce, Yauco, Aibonito and Lares.
The disaster declaration allows farmers and agricultural producers in those regions to access emergency loans.
“This is an important step,” said Puerto Rico Agriculture Secretary Irving Rodríguez. “We urge all producers affected by the drought to document t..

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In a small Virginia town, distrust of Big Tech hampers Trump’s AI push

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The front page of the Danville Register & Bee, a local newspaper in southern Virginia with a circulation of fewer than 4,000, carried an unusual headline.
“LEADER: CHINA BEHIND THE MISCONCEPTIONS”, it read, above a photograph of two homes dwarfed by a data centre behind.
The leader in question was Vic Ingram, chair of the Danville-Pittsylvania Regional Industrial Facility Authority (RIFA), a local body jointly established by the city of Danville and neighbouring Pittsylvania County to promote…

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Lindsay Clancy trial: Judge rejects mistrial plea after psychologist’s Catholic faith remarks

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Defendant Lindsay Clancy talks with her lawyer Kevin Reddington during her murder trial. (AP Photo) A judge has rejected a defence request for a mistrial in the case of Lindsay Clancy, who is accused of killing her three young children in Massachusetts, after a prosecution psychologist brought her Catholic faith into his testimony.The ruling came as Clancy's closely watched triple-murder trial neared its conclusion, with closing arguments expected Wednesday, according to NBC News.Defence seeks mistrial over Catholic faith remarksForensic psychologist Kirk Heilbrun was testifying for the prosecution when he referred to Clancy's Roman Catholic upbringing while discussing her state of mind at the time of the killings.Heilbrun mentioned Clancy's statement that she told her children to “Go to God” before killing them and questioned her about Catholic teachings on suicide.The defence immediately objected, and attorney Kevin Reddington moved for a mistrial, accusing the prosecu..

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In 1934, a gun club opened on 9.5 acres beside San Francisco’s Lake Merced; 81 years later it closed

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Aerial view of Lake Merced and surrounding coastal landscape San Francisco city officials have opened a search for private partners to redevelop a 9.5-acre lakeside property that was used as a private shooting range for more than 80 years. The move marks the final stage of a major environmental transformation along the western shore of Lake Merced. The property at 520 John Muir Drive was home to the Pacific Rod and Gun Club from 1934 until it permanently closed in 2015. After years of environmental cleanup, the city is now seeking proposals to turn the site into a public park and recreation centre.Decades of shooting leave toxic legacyThe Pacific Rod and Gun Club opened on the shores of Lake Merced in 1934, with skeet, trap and rifle ranges for local shooters. During more than 80 years of operation, shooting left large amounts of lead pellets and debris from petroleum-based clay targets in the soil and along the lake shore. When the club's lease ended in 2015, city officials close..

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Trump team looks to offload ‘woke’ and ‘terrifying’ painting by artist behind Obama’s official portrait

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Trump administration officials at the State Department are considering selling off a painting by the artist who also painted a portrait of former President Barack Obama, claiming his work contains “violent” and “racist” depictions.
The painting, “Young Artists After Siamesas 1960,” was painted by renowned artist Kehinde Wiley and features four Dominican art students in poses inspired by famous works by other Dominican artists. It has been hanging in the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo since 2015.
Wiley is known for his portrait of Obama, which now hangs in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.
But earlier this month, Leah Campos, the U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic, posted a video on Instagram showing the painting being removed. Campos insinuated the artwork was tied to “globalist and woke ideology.”
Last week, Erin Scavino, the director of Art in Embassies, the visual arts office of the U.S. State Department, called the painting “very woke” and “aesthetically terrifyi..

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Canada matches Trump tariffs with up to 50% levies on hundreds of US goods

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Canada is rolling out a slate of retaliatory trade moves against the U.S. in response to Donald Trump’s latest tariffs after negotiations between the neighboring nations broke down in an escalating trade war.
“Canada must respond,” Canadian Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said Tuesday.
Canada, which imports roughly $272 billion in U.S. goods every year, will double its existing counter-tariffs on American steel and aluminum products to 50 percent, while new tariffs of 15, 25 and 50 percent will be applied to more than $20 billion worth of about 700 U.S. goods, including clothing, furniture, video game consoles and other electronics, among other goods.
The measures are “proportionate, targeted and strategic,” designed to “match dollar for dollar, rate for rate” against Trump’s tariff agenda, Champagne said. The new levies are effective September 8.
Canada’s new levies are “designed primarily to provide protection for Canadian industry impacted by American tariffs” and to “l..

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