North America

Parkland, Sandy Hook suicides put focus on mental health, grief

by Leila MACOR MIAMI, United States (AFP) — The community of Parkland was grieving Monday after a second student took their life a little over a year following the shooting at the Florida town’s high school that left 17 people dead. As Parkland was mourning, the authorities said the father of a child killed in the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, had apparently committed suicide. Jeremy Richman, 49, lost his […]

Canada grants asylum to woman who sheltered Snowden in Hong Kong

OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Canada has granted asylum to a woman who helped Edward Snowden hide in Hong Kong after his leaks exposed US global surveillance programs, a refugee rights association said Monday. Vanessa Rodel and her 7-year-old daughter Keana were scheduled to arrive in Toronto later Monday on a flight from Hong Kong, the non-profit organization For the Refugees said. Rodel was among a group of people who sheltered Snowden, a former CIA employee […]

Man charged with attempted murder over Canada priest attack

  MONTREAL, Canada (AFP) — A man who allegedly stabbed a priest in front of his congregation live on television during mass at Canada’s biggest church was charged Saturday with attempted murder and assault with a weapon. Vlad Cristian Eremia, 26, appeared briefly by video link in a Montreal court on Saturday afternoon, sporting a beard and wearing a checked shirt. He will remain in custody, with his next hearing on Monday. The suspect is […]

Trump drops new N.Korea sanctions because he ‘likes’ Kim: W.House

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump on Friday abruptly announced the cancellation of sanctions imposed by his own Treasury Department to tighten international pressure on North Korea. “It was announced today by the U.S. Treasury that additional large scale Sanctions would be added to those already existing Sanctions on North Korea. I have today ordered the withdrawal of those additional Sanctions!” Trump said in a tweet. He appeared to be referring to measures […]

Netanyahu in Washington with Golan Heights recognition on tap

by Jim Mannion with Mike Smith in Jerusalem WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Washington on Sunday, looking for an electoral boost from Donald Trump amid expectations the US president will formally recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Trump broke longstanding international consensus last week over the status of the Golan Heights, which Israel seized from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War, saying the US should recognize […]

Priest stabbed live on TV at Canada’s biggest church

  by Julien Besset Agence France Presse MONTREAL, Canada (AFP) — A priest was stabbed in front of his congregation live on television during morning mass on Friday at Canada’s biggest church, in what police described as an isolated incident. Footage broadcast on a Catholic television station and picked up by the top-rated CTV network showed a man in jeans, parka and white baseball cap approach Claude Grou at St Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal, in […]

Catholic Church in US state failed to disclose 200 accused clergy: law firm

  Chicago, United States (AFP) — The Catholic Church has failed to disclose more than 200 names of clergy accused of abuse in the US state of Illinois, a law firm claimed Wednesday. The firm Jeff Anderson & Associates has previously released names of accused clergy in other parts of the country based on information it compiled from public sources such as lawsuits. Its latest report outlined 395 Catholic clergy and laypersons in Illinois who […]

US state of West Virginia sues Catholic diocese, bishop for employing known pedophiles

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US state of West Virginia on Tuesday sued a Catholic diocese and a bishop over allegations they knowingly employed pedophiles in schools. State attorney general Patrick Morrisey announced he had filed suit against the diocese of Wheeling/Charleston — located over 250 miles (400 kilometers) west of Washington — and against its former bishop Michael Bransfield. Bransfield was himself dismissed in September following allegations of sexual harassment against adults. […]

New York Red Bulls four-goal second half shakes San Jose Earthquakes to defeat

By Tennie Sumague EBC New York Bureau HARRISON, NJ (Eagle News) – Defending Supporters Shield winners, the New York Red Bulls shook things up against the San Jose Earthquakes thanks to Alex Muyl’s two-goal performance plus goals from Bradley-Wright Phillips and Daniel Royer en route to a 4-1 come from behind victory in Saturday’s season home opener. San Jose struck first with a goal from Cristian Espinosa in the fifth minute and the Quakes shut […]

Facebook admits storing passwords in plain text

By Glenn Chapman Agence France-Presse (AFP) — Facebook on Thursday admitted that millions of passwords were stored in plain text on its internal servers, a security slip that left them readable by the social networking platform’s employees. “To be clear, these passwords were never visible to anyone outside of Facebook and we have found no evidence to date that anyone internally abused or improperly accessed them,” Pedro Canahuati, the company’s vice president of engineering, security, […]

New York philanthropist is accused of sexual harassment

(AFP) — A New York billionaire and philanthropist, Michael Steinhardt, has been accused of sexual harassment by a series of women working for organizations that depended on his generosity, The New York Times and ProPublica reported on Thursday. Steinhardt, 78, who made a fortune through hedge funds created in the 1960s, is a major donor to institutions like New York University and the Metropolitan Museum, which named a gallery after him. Six women who spoke […]

Aid to Humanity in Hawaii reaches out to Molokai Island

By Alfred Acenas EBC Hawaii Bureau HONOLULU, HI (Eagle News) – The Hawaiian Island of Molokai, located between Oahu to the west and Maui to the east, is sometimes described as the most Hawaiian of all islands because of its predominantly agricultural and natural landscapes. Also known as the “Friendly Isle,” it has a population of just over 7,000. Rosemarie Ewing, a Molokai resident since 2006, indicated that people on the island do live up […]