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.
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.
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.
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.
4 arrested in killing of former ‘General Hospital’ actor Johnny Wactor
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles police have arrested four people in the death of former “General Hospital” actor Johnny Wactor, who was shot and killed when he interrupted thieves stealing the catalytic converter from his car. Police say that early on May 25, Wactor was leaving his shift as a bartender when three men approached who had hoisted his car in downtown LA. Police say one of them shot him, and he was declared dead later at a hospital. Wactor played Brando Corbin on the long-running ABC soap opera “General Hospital” from 2020 to 2022.
Stumpy, the gnarled, old cherry tree, is gone. But its clones — little Stumplings — live on
WASHINGTON (AP) — Stumpy lives on! The stunted and gnarled cherry tree that became an unlikely social media celebrity was cut down earlier this year, along with more than 100 other trees, to make way for a massive repair protect on the crumbling seawall protecting the Tidal Basin. But as construction on the seawall begins in earnest, horticulturists at the National Arboretum have successfully cloned Stumpy in a tree-mendous story of survival. The five young seedlings will continue to be nurtured for the next few years, with an eye on eventually replanting Stumpy when the Tidal Basin repair work is complete.
Prince Harry and Meghan arrive in Colombia to promote mental health and combat cyberbullying
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have arrived in Colombia, where they will participate in several events promoting mental health for young people and how to combat cyberbullying, one of the couple’s latest philanthropic causes. Harry and Meghan were welcomed at the residence of Colombia’s Vice President Francia Márquez in the heart of Bogotá, where treated to Colombian coffee and local pastries made with cheese and yuca. Márquez, a human rights activist and Colombia’s first Black vice president, said she will show the prince and the duchess the cultural richness of the country and the work Colombia’s government is doing to fight inequality in a country where 33% of the population lives in poverty.
Notre Dame suspends men’s swim team for one year after review finds NCAA gambling violations
Notre Dame has suspended its men’s swimming program for at least one year after an external review found members of the team violated NCAA rules by wagering among themselves on results of their competitions. The review also found that team members failed to “treat one another with dignity and respect.” Athletic director Pete Bevacqua said in a statement Thursday that not all team members participated in the poor conduct and that coach Chris Lindauer and his staff fully cooperated with the review. Members of the team will be permitted to transfer, though NCAA sanctions would follow those found to have broken rules against gambling.
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