10:29 a.m. EDT National News Summary

Jack Russell, lead singer of band Great White who was onstage during horrific ’03 concert fire, dies

NEW YORK (AP) — Jack Russell, the lead singer of the bluesy ’80s metal band Great White whose hits included “Once Bitten Twice Shy” and “Rock Me” and was fronting the band the night 100 people died in a 2003 nightclub fire in Rhode Island, has died. He was 63. Russell was leading his band during a show at The Station nightclub in Rhode Island when the band’s pyrotechnics sparked a fast-moving blaze that caused a bottleneck as fans tried to flee. The fire killed 100 people, including the band’s guitarist and injured more than 200 others. A statement posted Thursday on his Instagram page said Russell’s “unshakeable contribution to rock and roll where his legacy will forever thrive.”

A rarely seen deep sea fish is found in California, and scientists want to know why

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A rarely seen deep sea fish resembling a serpent was found floating dead on the ocean surface off the San Diego coast. The Scripps Institution of Oceanography says the silvery, 12-foot-long oarfish was found last weekend by snorkelers and kayakers in La Jolla Cove. It’s only the 20th time an oarfish is known to have washed up in California since 1901. Oarfish can grow longer than 20 feet and normally live in a part of the ocean so deep that light cannot reach. Scientists plan to perform a necropsy on Friday to try to determine the cause of death.

Taylor Swift’s Eras tour returns in London, with assist from Ed Sheeran, after foiled terror plot

LONDON (AP) — Taylor Swift has made a triumphant return to the Eras Tour at London’s Wembley Stadium with an assist from Ed Sheeran. He joined the headliner for the crowd-pleasing acoustic section of the show to play the pair’s collaborations. It’s been tough few weeks with a tragedy and thwarted terror plot surrounding the singer. Heartbreak remains after the death of three young fans in Southport, northern England, who were killed by an attacker at their Swift themed dance class. And a foiled plan to attack her concert venue in Austria, where police arrested three Islamic State-inspired extremists, led to show cancellations. Swift has four remaining dates at Wembley Stadium which round out the European leg of The Eras Tour.

Panda twins are born in Hong Kong to Ying Ying, the world’s oldest first-time mom

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong has welcomed the births of its first locally born giant pandas. The theme park where the twins were born said their mother is the world’s oldest first-time giant panda mother on record. Ying Ying gave birth to the male and female pandas at Ocean Park on Thursday just a day before she turned 19 years old. Ying Ying and her partner Le Le were the second pair of pandas gifted by Beijing to Hong Kong since the former British colony returned to China’s rule in 1997. Pandas are widely considered as China’s unofficial national mascot.

As the Middle East frets about conflict, Dubai booms with an influx of anxious wealth

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — As conflict casts a shadow across the Middle East, people are getting rich in Dubai. Years after a momentary slump in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the desert sheikdom’s economy is buzzing with tourism and construction as it positions itself as a safe haven in a region that’s resting on a knife’s edge following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran. Dubai has a long history of indirectly benefiting from crises in the region. When the ultra-wealthy worry about turmoil, the city offers stability, low taxes and a friendly visa system.

Number of potentially lethal meth candies unknowingly shared by New Zealand food bank reaches 65

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Police in New Zealand have accounted for 41 chunks of methamphetamine enclosed in candy wrappers — each a potentially lethal amount of the drug — that were unknowingly distributed by an Auckland food bank. Police say they are in the process of collecting two dozen more of the contaminated sweets from members of the public, bringing the total number of candies accidentally shared in food parcels to at least 65. They say it is not known how many more are still circulating, No one has been seriously harmed.

International astronomy group joins calls for a lunar clock to keep time on the moon

WASHINGTON (AP) — An international group of astronomers has joined calls to create a standard for keeping time on the moon, where seconds tick by faster. As more countries and private companies set their sights on future lunar missions, astronomers want to ensure perfect synchrony with a unified clock. The International Astronomical Union voted Thursday encouraging space organizations across the globe to collaborate on a timekeeping standard. The U.S. and Europe have similarly called for such a standard. Astronomers are still in the early days of determining exactly how lunar time will tick.

Kim Dotcom loses 12-year fight to halt deportation from New Zealand to face US copyright case

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Kim Dotcom, founder of the once wildly popular file-sharing website Megaupload, lost a 12-year fight this week to halt his deportation from New Zealand to the U.S. on charges of copyright infringement, money laundering and racketeering. New Zealand’s Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith divulged Friday that he had decided Dotcom should be surrendered to the U.S. to face trial. A date for the extradition was not set and Goldsmith said Dotcom would be allowed time to get advice on the decision. A lawyer for Dotcom signaled an appeal. Prosecutors said Megaupload raked in millions from people who used the site to illegally download copyrighted works. Defense lawyers say the users of the site were responsible, not the founders.

Detroit judge sidelined for making sleepy teen wear jail clothes on court field trip

DETROIT (AP) — A Detroit judge has been sidelined for ordering a teenager into jail clothes and handcuffs while she was on a field trip to his courtroom. The chief judge of the 36th District Court says Judge Kenneth King will undergo what he calls “necessary training.” The 15-year-old fell asleep in King’s courtroom during a visit organized by a nonprofit group she volunteers for. King said the girl’s attitude led to the jail clothes, handcuffs and a stern lecture. The girl’s mother says the judge was a “big bully.” And she says the girl was sleepy because the family doesn’t have a permanent home.

‘Hollywood Squares’ host and Broadway star Peter Marshall dies at 98

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Peter Marshall, who played straight man to the stars for 16 years as host of “The Hollywood Squares,” has died at 98. The West Virginia-born Marshall was a singer and actor who appeared in films and on Broadway before landing the job in 1966 on “Hollywood Squares,” which he would host for more than 5,000 episodes through 1981. The questions Marshall would ask celebrity guests, most famously show regular and center square Paul Lynde, served as set-ups for joke answers before the real ones came. Major starring roles eluded him in Hollywood, but he would find them in musical theater.

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