She’s the world’s most expensive cow, and part of Brazil’s plan to put beef on everyone’s plate
UBERABA, Brazil (AP) — Brazil has hundreds of millions of cows, but one in particular is extraordinary. Her massive, snow-white body is watched over by security cameras and an armed guard. Viatina-19 FIV Mara MovĂ©is is worth $4.1 million. According to Guinness World Records, she’s the most expensive cow ever sold at auction. Climate scientists agree that people need to consume less beef because it’s the largest agricultural source of greenhouse gasses and a driver of Amazon deforestation. But the cattle industry is a major source of Brazilian economic development and the government is striving to conquer new export markets. The world’s top beef exporter wants everyone, everywhere to eat its beef.
Ippei Mizuhara, ex-interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani, expected to enter guilty plea
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — The ex-interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is scheduled to plead guilty to bank and tax fraud in a sports betting case. Ippei Mizuhara is expected to admit to stealing nearly $17 million from the Japanese baseball player. Tuesday’s change-of-plea hearing in federal court in Santa Ana, California, occurs as the Dodgers begin a three-game series in Pittsburgh. The gambling scandal shocked baseball fans from Japan to the U.S. and ratcheted up a media frenzy that’s ever-present around Ohtani. Authorities say there was no evidence Ohtani was involved in or aware of Mizuhara’s gambling, and the player cooperated with investigators.
China’s spacecraft carrying rocks from the far side of the moon leaves the lunar surface
BEIJING (AP) — China says a spacecraft carrying rock and soil samples from the far side of the moon has lifted off from the lunar surface to start its journey back to Earth. The ascender of the Chang’e-6 probe lifted off Tuesday morning Beijing time and entered a preset orbit around the moon, the China National Space Administration said. The Chang’e-6 probe was launched last month and its lander touched down on the far side of the moon Sunday. The container with the samples will be transferred to a reentry capsule that is due to return to Earth about June 25.
In Indonesia, women ranger teams go on patrol to slow deforestation
DAMARAN BARU, Indonesia (AP) — A female-led group of forest rangers in Indonesia are defying social norms to lead patrols in the jungle to combat deforestation. The patrol group was started by a woman who witnessed the devastating effects of deforestation on her local village in the province of Aceh. The members spend days at a time in the jungle monitoring wildlife, keeping a lookout for deforestation and engaging with farmers and poachers they meet in the jungle. The group said it’s seen a rapid decrease in deforestation in its area. Now they’re sharing their tactics with other women-led groups hoping to protect their own forests across Indonesia.
Amanda Knox will defend herself in an Italian court against a 16-year-old slander charge
MILAN (AP) — Amanda Knox will be back in an Italian courtroom this week to defend herself against a 16-year-old slander conviction that she hopes to beat once and for all. This was made possible after a European court ruled that Italy violated her human rights during a long night of questioning after the murder of her British roommate in November 2007. The slander conviction for accusing a Congolese bar owner in the killing is the only charge against her that withstood five court rulings that ultimately cleared her in the brutal murder of her roommate, 21-year-old Meredith Kercher, in the apartment they shared in the idyllic central Italian university town of Perugia.
Judge rejects call to immediately shut down Alex Jones’ Infowars in bankruptcy dispute
A federal judge has rejected a request to immediately shut down conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ media company as disputes in his bankruptcy cases widen. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez denied the request Monday and said Jones’ company, Free Speech Systems, can continue operating until June 14. That’s when the judge is expected to decide whether Jones’ bankruptcy reorganization gets converted into a liquidation that would sell off his assets. Jones and his company filed for bankruptcy reorganization after he lost two lawsuits and was ordered to pay $1.5 billion to relatives of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. The families filed an emergency motion Sunday seeking liquidation of Jones’ assets.
Toyota apologizes for cheating on vehicle testing and halts production of three models
TOKYO (AP) — Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda has apologized for massive cheating on certification tests for seven vehicle models. The fraudulent testing at Japan’s top automaker involved the use of inadequate or outdated data in collision tests and incorrect testing of airbag inflation and rear-seat damage in crashes. Engine tests were also found to be falsified. Toyota stopped production Monday of the three models made in Japan. The deceptive tests don’t affect the safety of the vehicles already on roads. Two other Japanese automakers Mazda and and Honda also reported Monday improper testing of their vehicles but said they are safe to use.
Trial in the fatal daytime ambush of rapper Young Dolph reset to September
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A judge has reset the trial date for a man charged with killing rapper Young Dolph in a daytime shooting ambush at a cookie shop in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. Shelby County Judge Jennifer J. Mitchell on Monday set a Sept. 23 trial date for Justin Johnson. He has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Young Dolph, who was gunned down in November 2021. Johnson’s trial had been set to start Monday. However, prosecutors and Johnson’s lawyer filed a joint motion May 14 asking the judge to delay the trial to allow them to present expert witnesses to discuss cellphone location records.
New Orleans valedictorian lived in a homeless shelter as he rose to the top of his class
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Elijah Hogan came through a senior year of high school in a homeless shelter to make it to the top of his class. The 19-year-old recently graduated as one of two valedictorians at Walter L. Cohen charter high school in New Orleans. Hogan’s mother died when he was 8 and he had lived with his grandmother for several years. He ended up in the Covenant House shelter for homeless youth before his final year of high school. Hogan’s graduation ceremony speech applauded his classmates for getting through their trials and hardships. Hogan now plans to attend Xavier University of Louisiana and pursue a major in graphic design.
From decay to dazzling, Ford restores grandeur to Detroit train station that once symbolized decline
DETROIT (AP) — The once-blighted monolithic Michigan Central train station — for decades a symbol of Detroit’s decline — has new life following a massive six-year, multimillion-dollar renovation to create a hub for mobility projects in the rebirth of the Motor City. No longer the windowless, hulking, scavenger-ravaged structure ominously shadowing the city’s Corktown neighborhood, the former train station now is a home to Ford Motor Co. and the centerpiece of a sprawling 30-acre mobility innovation district. Ford announced in 2018 that it was buying the 18-story building and adjacent structures as part of its plans for a campus focusing on autonomous vehicles. Grand opening ceremonies include an outdoor concert on Thursday, with tours for the general public starting Friday.
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