Woman dies after falling into an uncovered maintenance hole in New York City
NEW YORK (AP) — A 56-year-old woman has died after falling into an open maintenance hole on a busy New York City street. Police say she was exiting her SUV near Fifth Avenue and East 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan when she fell into the hole late Monday night. She was pronounced dead at a local hospital. It remains unclear why the hole was uncovered. Con Edison is investigating the accident and has expressed condolences to the family. The woman's relatives told WABC-TV they were shocked and saddened by her death, and are seeking more information. The city's chief medical examiner's office will determine the cause of death.
UK police find cocaine worth $9.3 million stashed in a shipment of Kim Kardashian brand underwear
LONDON (AP) — British authorities have sentenced a truck driver to prison for smuggling cocaine in a shipment of Skims clothing. The National Crime Agency says Jakub Jan Konkel was caught with 90 kilograms of cocaine in a truck carrying underwear and clothes from Kim Kardashian's shapewear brand from the Netherlands. Officials stopped him at a port in Essex in September. The shipment of clothing was legitimate, and neither the exporter nor the importer was involved in the smuggling. Konkel agreed to transport the drugs for a payment of 4,500 euros. He received a 13½-year sentence on Monday.
The breathless Korean sci-fi monster movie 'Hope' leaves the Cannes Film Festival floored
CANNES, France (AP) — Sprawling action movies with aliens do not generally compete for the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or. But Na Hong-jin’s “Hope” is not your average science fiction. Few movies were more anticipated in Cannes. It’s been 10 years since Na’s last film, the well-regarded 2016 thriller “The Wailing.” While some of Na’s fellow Korean genre masters, like Bong Joon Ho, have found global renown, for many cinephiles, Na is overdue for the kind of global introduction a Cannes premiere provides. The headlong rush of “Hope” left Cannes awed, befuddled and thrilled by Na’s bonkers would-be international blockbuster.
Ronda Rousey stops Gina Carano with an armbar 17 seconds into their double comeback bout
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Ronda Rousey stopped Gina Carano with her signature armbar just 17 seconds into the iconic fighters’ mixed martial arts comeback bout. The 39-year-old Rousey ended a 9 1/2-year absence from MMA when she took the cage with the 44-year-old Carano, who hadn’t fought in 17 years since 2009. Rousey wasted absolutely no time when the cage door finally close, charging and tackling Carano an instant after the opening bell. Rousey quickly moved into position and applied her famous finishing move, wrenching Carano’s arm as the fight was stopped. This improbable double comeback bout united two of the most important fighters from MMA’s past two decades.
Conor McGregor to make long-awaited UFC return in July fight against Max Holloway
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Conor McGregor is returning the octagon. UFC CEO Dana White announced on Saturday McGregor will return for a rematch against Max Holloway in the UFC 329 main on July 11 in Las Vegas. The 37-year-old Irishman has not fought since breaking his leg in a fight against Dustin Poirier in 2021 and has faced a series of legal issues. An Irish jury found him liable in a civil sexual assault case from an incident in 2018, which was upheld by Ireland’s High Court in July. McGregor was scheduled to return for a fight against Michael Chandler in July 2024, but withdrew due to a toe injury. McGregor was the UFC’s first double champion in 2016 with a win over Eddie Alvarez, but has lost three of his past four matches. He also fought Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a boxing match in 2017.
Humpback whale released after spectacular rescue effort found dead off Denmark
BERLIN (AP) — Authorities say a humpback whale found dead this week off a Danish island has been identified as the animal released two weeks ago in a spectacular and contentious rescue effort. The whale had repeatedly become stranded off Germany’s Baltic Sea coast. The dead whale was stranded on Thursday just off the small island of Anholt in the Kattegat, the broad strait between Denmark and Sweden that connects the Baltic Sea to the North Sea. The site is south of the location where the whale that gained the nicknames “Timmy” and “Hope” was released on May 2 after being transported toward the North Sea in a barge.
Starbucks to lay off 300 US corporate workers and close regional offices
Starbucks said Friday it’s laying off 300 corporate employees and closing some U.S. offices as part of its ongoing turnaround. No coffeehouse employees are affected. The cuts will impact employees in support functions like marketing, human resources and supply chain management. Starbucks said no international employees are affected for now, but it's reviewing its corporate structure outside the U.S. Starbucks said it’s also closing underused offices in Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago and other cities. Starbucks expects to the moves to result in $400 million in restructuring charges, including $120 million in employee separation benefits.
Claudine Longet, singer and actor at center of a notorious manslaughter trial, dies at 84
NEW YORK (AP) — French singer and actor Claudine Longet has died at age 84. She became infamous after being charged with the fatal shooting of her boyfriend, Olympic skier Vladimir “Spider” Sabich, in 1976. Longet claimed the shooting was accidental. The trial in Aspen, Colorado, drew worldwide attention. Her ex-husband, singer Andy Williams, supported her throughout. In 1977, a jury found her guilty of criminally negligent homicide. She received probation and a fine. Her entertainment career ended, and she became a subject of mockery. Longet later married her defense attorney and lived a private life in Aspen.
Winner pays $9 million in charity auction for a private lunch with Warren Buffett and Stephen Curry
Someone paid more than $9 million to have lunch with basketball player Stephen Curry and Warren Buffett, and the legendary investor also promised to match the winning bid so both their favorite charities will benefit. The auction on eBay was intended to revive an event that Buffett hosted for more than two decades that raised $53 million for the GLIDE Foundation homeless charity in San Francisco. This year’s auction that wrapped up Thursday night also raised month for Curry’s Eat.Learn.Play. Foundation that he established with his wife, Ayesha. The annonymous winner paid $9,000,100 to win a private lunch with Buffett and the Currys in the 95-year-old investor’s hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, next month.
Small cities in big Texas metro areas lead as the fastest growing municipalities in the US
Small cities in big Texas metro areas are the fastest-growing in the U.S. The Census Bureau reported Thursday that Celina, Princeton, Melissa and Anna were at the top of the list from mid-2024 to mid-2025. All are in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Fulshear, near Houston, ranked second. These cities saw growth rates from nearly 15% to 25%. Texas cities like Fort Worth and Austin also saw significant population gains. Seattle was the only non-Southern city in the top 10 for numeric growth, driven by international migration. Meanwhile, Twentynine Palms, California, and Key West, Florida, experienced the highest rates of population losses because of tight housing markets.
