by Natasha Belle This Cameroon native was allotted the opportunity to play basketball in the United States as a teen. He’s no longer playing basketball but has paved the way for disadvantaged youth. His organization has provided the same opportunities through sports while supporting orphans in Africa. Founder Yannick Formbor, 33, grew up in Douala, … Continue reading
By MATT SEDENSKY, KEVIN McGILL and DAVID RISING Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Troubling new outbreaks bubbled in the United States on Friday and deaths surged in Italy and Spain as the world warily trudged through the pandemic that has sickened more than a half-million people. Punctuating the fact that no one is immune … Continue reading
Who is at risk? Persons living in or near Wuhan City, China, persons traveling in that area in the past two weeks or who have had contact with someone who has been in that area or contact with someone diagnosed with Coronavirus infection. Current Virginia Risk Level: Low — no identified cases in Virginia as … Continue reading
by LaRey Wright I was startled awake by what sounded like a wounded duck outside my window. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I remembered that I was no longer in the United States. I was hearing the typical morning harmonies of Rome, seagulls squawking along the water near my apartment and horns … Continue reading
by Malik Glaspie “The rapidly changing, complex security environment, will continue to be the main driver for NATO’s adaptation efforts,” said General Denis Mercier in his introduction to NATO ACT’s annual Chiefs of Transformation Conference in Norfolk, Virginia on Dec. 12-14 at the downtown Norfolk Marriott hotel. On December 17, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization … Continue reading
by Keona Frasier The North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Allied Command Transformation met in Norfolk, Virginia for the 2017 Chiefs of Transformation Conference on Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 13-14. The main agenda during the conference was to prepare for the future of the military alliance’s member nations and partners by discussing pressing matters and viable solutions. … Continue reading
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Latest on the trial of a Mexican man in a killing on a San Francisco pier (all times local): 7:45 p.m. President Donald Trump says there was a “disgraceful verdict” after a Mexican man was found not guilty of murder in a high-profile killing that touched off a fierce immigration … Continue reading
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Pope Francis is ordaining 16 priests during a Mass in Bangladesh, the start of a busy day that will also bring him face-to-face with Rohingya Muslims refugees from Myanmar. An estimated 100,000 people gathered Friday in a Dhaka park for the service, which mirrors the ordination Mass St. John Paul II … Continue reading
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea says the most powerful missile that North Korea tested this week missile is potentially capable of striking targets as far as 13,000 kilometers (8,100 miles), which would put Washington within reach. The Defense Ministry says Friday further reviews are needed to determine whether the intercontinental ballistic missile’s warhead … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — When it comes to fandom, it’s reckoning time for Matt Lauer, Garrison Keillor and scores of other men accused of sexual wrongdoing. Hero celebrities have fallen before — Bill Cosby’s career ended after assault allegations in 2014 — but never in the rapid succession that has rocked so many worlds since … Continue reading
KARANGASEM, Indonesia (AP) — Australian tourists who complained about being stranded on tropical Bali when volcanic ash closed its airport have been roasted online as out of touch with the hardships faced by Indonesians forced to flee their homes. Bali’s airport reopened Wednesday after being closed for 2 1/2 days and thousands of tourists are … Continue reading
LONDON (AP) — Katrin Jakobsdottir, the leader of Iceland’s Left Green Movement, was named as the Nordic island nation’s prime minister Thursday after three parties formed a broad governing coalition in hopes of moving the country out of the cycle of crises that triggered three elections in the past four years. The coalition, which includes … Continue reading
NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Tiger Woods looked a lot better in his return to golf than he did when he left. Playing for the first time since his fourth back surgery, Woods returned from a 10-month layoff with a 3-under 69 on a breezy Thursday in the Bahamas that left him three shots behind Tommy … Continue reading
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The Latest on the global response to North Korea’s latest missile launch (all times local): 10:30 a.m. South Korea’s military says North Korea’s new intercontinental ballistic missile is potentially capable of striking targets as far as 13,000 kilometers (8,100 miles) away when fired at an operational angle, which would put … Continue reading
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A jury on Thursday found a Mexican man not guilty in the killing of a woman on a San Francisco pier that touched off a national immigration debate two years ago, rejecting possible charges ranging from involuntary manslaughter to first-degree murder. Jose Ines Garcia Zarate had been deported five times and … Continue reading
HONOLULU (AP) — Just days after North Korea tested its most powerful missile yet, Hawaii is dusting off a relic not heard on the islands since the end of the Cold War. The monthly test of Hawaii’s siren warning system for tsunamis and other natural disasters will have a new tone when it sounds Friday … Continue reading
By CALEB JONES and JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER, Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — Just days after North Korea tested its most powerful missile yet, Hawaii is dusting off a relic not heard on the islands since the end of the Cold War. The monthly test of Hawaii’s siren warning system for tsunamis and other natural disasters will … Continue reading
by Imajae Johnson The North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) Allied Command Transformation (ACT) is holding their annual Chiefs of Transformation Conference (COTC) in Norfolk, Virginia Tuesday December 12, 2017 through Thursday December 14, 2017. NATO is made up of twenty-nine countries and promotes the freedom and security of its members through political and military means. Norfolk … Continue reading
HAMILTON, Ontario (AP) — Former security guard Tim Button considers how a sudden increase in his income from an unusual social experiment has changed his life in this Canadian industrial city along the shore of Lake Ontario. Sipping coffee in a Tim Horton’s doughnut shop, Button says he has been unable to work because … Continue reading
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani Islamists celebrated their victory over the government and called off their sit-in on Monday after the country’s law minister resigned, caving in to the fundamentalist protesters who have been demanding his ouster in a three-week-long rally. After Zahid Hamid’s resignation, the Tehreek-i-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah party, which was behind the sit-in … Continue reading
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Pope Francis opened a diplomatically fraught trip to Myanmar and Bangladesh on Monday by immediately diving into the crisis over Myanmar’s crackdown on Rohingya Muslims: He met with the country’s military chief, even before beginning the official program of his trip. The Vatican didn’t provide details of the contents of Francis’ … Continue reading
LONDON (AP) — Newly engaged Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on Monday lifted the secrecy that had shrouded their 18-month romance, revealing they met on a blind date, bonded during a camping trip under the stars in Botswana and that Harry proposed over a roast chicken dinner at their London home, getting down on one … Continue reading
KARANGASEM, Indonesia (AP) — A volcano on the Indonesian island of Bali has rumbled to life with eruptions that dusted nearby resorts and villages with ash and forced the closure of the small international airport on neighboring Lombok island as towering gray plumes drifted east. Mount Agung erupted on Saturday evening and three times early … Continue reading
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Papua New Guinea authorities said Friday they had relocated the last asylum seekers who had refused for three weeks to leave a closed immigration camp for fear they would face violence in the alternative accommodations. Police Chief Superintendent Dominic Kakas said police and immigration officials removed all 378 men from the … Continue reading
TOKYO (AP) — Eight people were rescued and three remained missing after a U.S. Navy plane crashed into the western Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, the Navy said. The C-2 “Greyhound” transport aircraft came down about 500 nautical miles (925 kilometers) southeast of Okinawa as it was bringing passengers and cargo from Japan to the USS … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 