Nation and world news in brief for July 25
Salman Rushdie’s alleged attacker faces federal terrorism charges
(Reuters) — The man accused of attempting to kill author Salman Rushdie in New York two years ago now faces federal terrorism charges for his alleged support for Hezbollah, according to an indictment unsealed on Wednesday.
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The grand-jury indictment charges Hadi Matar, the New Jersey man already facing state charges of attempted murder and assault for a 2022 knife attack on Rushdie, with three terror charges, including carrying out an act of terrorism and providing material support to Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated terrorist group that was founded by Iran in Lebanon during the early 1980s.
Matar faces life in prison if found guilty on the federal terror charges.
FAA, union agree on new rest rules for air-traffic controllers
(Reuters) — The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said on Wednesday it had struck a deal with an employee union to ensure that air-traffic controllers receive additional rest as the agency deals with a staffing shortage. Under current rules, controllers handling active airplanes must get an eight- or nine-hour break between shifts in most instances.
The FAA said controllers will receive 10 hours off duty between shifts and 12 hours off before and after midnight shifts when the new rules take effect with 2025 schedules to be negotiated under the deal with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. Controllers will have limits on the number of consecutive overtime assignments.
Army Radio: Israeli forces recover bodies of two hostages from Gaza
JERUSALEM (Reuters) — Israeli forces have recovered the bodies of two hostages killed in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack and held in Gaza since then, Israel’s Army Radio reported on Wednesday, citing a statement from their kibbutz communities.
Maya Goren, a 56-year-old kindergarden teacher was killed during the attack on her kibbutz, Nir Oz, Army Radio said, one of the communities worst-hit in the deadly Hamas rampage through southern Israel that triggered the devastating war in Gaza.
The second hostage was Oren Goldin, 33, from a nearby Kibbutz, Nir Yitzhak.
The Israeli military did not immediately confirm the report.
Explosion at Jose Cuervo tequila factory in Mexico kills at least 6
(NYT) — An explosion at a Jose Cuervo tequila distillery in Mexico on Tuesday sparked a fire and killed six workers, officials said.
The explosion and fire in the city of Tequila, Mexico, about 40 miles by road northwest of Guadalajara in the western state of Jalisco, prompted evacuations. The fire was later contained.
Jalisco authorities said in a statement that five people had been killed and two others were wounded, one seriously.
Civil Protection authorities in Jalisco later reported Thursday that a sixth person had been found dead at the factory. The body was found while debris was being removed from a retention pit in an area near the containers. They also reported that a new fire had broken out in the morning in the storage area and that it had reached a 200-liter drum of raw material, but was eventually controlled.
The fire broke out at the La Rojeña Factory late Tuesday afternoon, according to a statement by Casa Cuervo, the company that owns Jose Cuervo and other brands.
