Month: September 2022

JERUSALEM -- Israel's prime minister on Monday vowed to begin production at a contested Mediterranean natural gas field “as soon as it is possible,” threatening to raise tensions with Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group. Yair Lapid's announcement in a statement from his office came at a sensitive time in long-running efforts by a U.S. mediator to resolve a dispute over the countries' maritime border. U.S. officials have said they are making progress, but need more time to reach a solution. Lapid said it is “both possible and necessary” to reach an agreement with Lebanon, which he said would benefit both countries and “strengthen regional stability.” But he said that production from the Karish gas field is not connected to the negotiations and “will commence without delay, as soon as it i...

MEXICO CITY -- A magnitude 7.6 earthquake shook Mexico's central Pacific coast on Monday, killing at least one person and setting off a seismic alarm in the rattled capital on the anniversary of two earlier devastating quakes. There were at least some early reports of damage to buildings from the quake, which hit at 1:05 p.m. local time, according to the U.S. Geologic Survey, which had initially put the magnitude at 7.5. It said the quake was centered 37 kilometers (23 miles) southeast of Aquila near the boundary of Colima and Michoacan states and at a depth of 15.1 kilometers (9.4 miles). President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said via Twitter that the secretary of the navy told him one person was killed in the port city of Manzanillo, Colima when a wall at a mall collapsed. In Coalcom...

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Hurricane Fiona unleashed more rain on Puerto Rico on Monday, a day after the storm knocked out power and water to most of the island, and National Guard troops rescued hundreds of people who got stranded. The governor warned that it could take days to get the lights back on. The blow from Fiona was made more devastating because Puerto Rico has yet to recover from Hurricane Maria, which killed nearly 3,000 people and destroyed the power grid in 2017. Five years later, more than 3,000 homes on the island are still covered by blue tarps. The storm stripped pavement from roads, tore off roofs and sent torrents pouring into homes. It also took out a bridge and flooded two airports. Authorities reported two deaths from the hurricane —Taos Sandals a Puerto Rican man ...

KYIV, Ukraine -- A Russian missile blasted a crater close to a nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine on Monday, damaging nearby industrial equipment but not hitting its three reactors. Ukrainian authorities denounced the move as an act of “nuclear terrorism.” The missile struck within 300 meters (328 yards) of the reactors at the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant near the city of Yuzhnoukrainsk in Mykolaiv province, leaving a hole 2 meters (6 1/2 feet) deep and 4 meters (13 feet) wide, according to Ukrainian nuclear operator Energoatom. The reactors were operating normally and no employees were injured, it said. But the proximity of the strike renewed fears that Russia's nearly 7-month-long war in Ukraine might produce a radiation disaster. This nuclear power station is Ukraine’s seco...

The New York attorney general's office rejected an offer this month to resolve a civil investigation into former President Donald Trump and his family real estate business, sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News. For more than three years, New York Attorney General Letitia James has been investigating whether Trump fraudulently adjusted the value of his assets to secure loans or tax breaks. James had already said in court filings she has found evidence of possible fraud. The rejection of the Trump Organization's settlement offer is a possible sign she intends to file a civil lawsuit which, if successful, could result in financial penalties or restrictions on the company's ability to operate in New York. A spokesperson for the AG's declined to comment. The Trump Organizatio...

Three people are confirmed dead after two small aircraft collided mid-air in Colorado Saturday, authorities said. Multiple 911 callers reported seeing two planes collide over Boulder County shortly before 9 a.m. local time, the Boulder County Sheriff's Office said. Two small aircraft collided mid-air and crashed in Boulder County, Colorado, Sept. 17, 2022. KMGH The aircraft collided and crashed near Vance Brand Airport in Longmont at 8:50 a.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The collision involved a single-engine Cessna 172 and a Sonex Xenos aircraft, a type of motor glider, the National Transportation Safety Board said. First responders found two separate crash sites near Niwot Road, the sheriff's office said. Aerial footage s...