Gay pride revelers in Sao Paulo reclaim Brazil’s national symbols
SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) — The iconic yellow and green of Brazil’s flag mixed with a sea of rainbow-colored tutus, hand fans and drag queen hairdos at Sunday’s LGBTQ+ pride parade in Sao Paulo. The event along the city’s main thoroughfare is among the biggest gay pride celebrations in the world. Every year it attracts thousands of people to celebrate the sexual diversity in a country synonymous with street partying but where violence and discrimination against members of the LGBTQ+ community has surged in recent years. This year organizers made a special appeal for participants to wear green and yellow in a pointed rebuke to far right followers of former President Jair Bolsonaro who in recent time appropriated Brazil’s national symbols for themselves.
Michael Douglas pays solidarity visit to southern Israel
JERUSALEM (AP) — Michael Douglas has paid a solidarity visit to an Israeli kibbutz that was hit hard in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that sparked Israel’s war against the Islamic militant group. Douglas met with members of Kibbutz Be’eri and visited burnt-out homes destroyed in the Oct. 7 attack. Douglas said he met families of hostages and visited the scene of a music party where over 300 people were killed. He also met with Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, who presented the actor with an Israeli dog tag necklace and small pin of a yellow ribbon. “It’s a very difficult time. You sense the deep shock of this whole experience,” Douglas said, expressing hope that the hostages would be released soon.
Rugby star and ALS campaigner Rob Burrow dies at age 41
LEEDS, England (AP) — Rob Burrow, a former rugby star who was widely praised for his fundraising and awareness campaigns after being diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease in 2019, has died. He was 41. Leeds Rhinos announced the death. Burrow spent his entire career at the English rugby league club and helped them win eight Super League titles. He retired in 2017 and two years later it was revealed Burrow had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as motor neurone disease (MND). He went on to raise millions to help build a new care center for ALS patients alongside former teammate Kevin Sinfield. Leeds said Burrow “never allowed others to define what he could achieve.”
‘Garfield,’ ‘Furiosa’ repeat atop box office charts as slow summer grinds on
It was a quiet weekend at North American movie theaters, dominated once again by Sony’s “The Garfield Movie” and Warner Bros. “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.” “The Garfield Movie” earned a chart-topping $14 million in ticket sales while “Furiosa” settled into third place in a close race with “IF,” both earning around $10.8 million, according to studio estimates on Sunday. Disney/20th Century Studios’ “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” landed in fourth place with $8.8 million. Universal’s “The Fall Guy” rounded out the top five with $4.2 million. The 2024 box office is down nearly 24% from last year.
Rupert Murdoch ties the knot for the 5th time in ceremony at his California vineyard
NEW YORK (AP) — Media magnate Rupert Murdoch, who is 93, has married for the fifth time. Murdoch’s News Corp confirmed that he and Elena Zhukova, a 67-year-old Russian-born retired molecular biologist, wed Saturday in a ceremony at his California vineyard. The couple announced their engagement in March. Murdoch was most recently married to model and actor Jerry Hall. They were wed in 2016 and divorced in 2022. Zhukova is the ex-wife of Alexander Zhukov, a billionaire energy investor and Russian politician. Their daughter, Dasha, was previously married to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, who used to own the Premier League soccer club Chelsea. Last fall, Murdoch stepped down as leader of both Fox News’ parent company and his News Corp. media holdings.
A monster truck clips a power line at a Maine show, toppling utility poles in spectator area
TOPSHAM, Maine (AP) — Police say a monster truck performing for spectators in Maine clipped an aerial power line, toppling several utility poles and sending two people to the hospital. The Topsham Fairgrounds was hosting a monster truck event on Saturday when a vehicle dubbed the Crushstation jumped into the air and hit the power line. Video showed people scrambling when a utility pole with a transformer fell alongside the track. Topsham police say two people were transported to hospitals and others suffered minor injuries. The driver of the truck was not injured.
Ex-NJ officer sentenced to 27 years in shooting death of driver, wounding of passenger in 2019 chase
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A former New Jersey police officer has been sentenced to a total of 27 years in prison in the shooting death of one man and the wounding of another during a high-speed car chase 5 1/2 years ago in the city of Newark. Superior Court Judge Michael Ravin sentenced former Newark officer Jovanny Crespo on Friday to 20 years for aggravated manslaughter and seven years for aggravated assault in the January 2019 chase. NJ.com reported that 31-year-old Crespo wept as his mother and sister begged for leniency. He later stood to briefly apologize to the victims’ families.
Makhachev beats Poirier by submission at UFC 302 to defend lightweight title
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Islam Makhachev defended his lightweight title and extended his winning streak to 14 fights, third-longest in UFC history, by getting a submission over Dustin Poirier in the fifth round at UFC 302. Overcoming one of the sport’s accomplished veterans and a crowd that was against him from the start, Makhachev ran his record to 26-1 and said afterward he may move up in weight for another challenge. There’s certainly not much left for him at 155 pounds, where he defended his title for the third time and showed why he is ranked as the pound-for-pound best in UFC. Poirier fell short in his third attempt for the undisputed title.
Live Nation reveals data breach at its Ticketmaster subsidiary
Live Nation is investigating a data breach at its Ticketmaster subsidiary, which dominates ticketing for live events in the United States. Live Nation, based in Beverly Hills, California, said in a regulatory filing Friday that on May 27 “a criminal threat actor″ offered to sell Ticketmaster data on the dark web. Other media reports say a hacking group named ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for the breach in an online forum and was seeking $500,000 for the data, which reportedly includes names, addresses, phone numbers and some credit card details of Ticketmaster customers.
Oregon officials close entire coast to mussel harvesting due to shellfish poisoning
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon authorities have closed the state’s entire coastline to mussel harvesting due to an outbreak of shellfish poisoning they described as “unprecedented.” They’ve also closed parts of the Oregon coast to harvesting razor clams, bay clams and oysters. The Oregon Health Authority this week said paralytic shellfish poisoning has sickened at least 20 people. The agency is asking people who have harvested or eaten Oregon shellfish since May 13 to fill out a survey to help officials identify the cause of the outbreak and the number of people sickened. Officials say high levels of toxins were first detected in shellfish along the coast about two weeks ago.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.