Nation and world news in brief for November 13

Driver kills 35 people in ramming attack on crowd in China

ZHUHAI, China (Reuters) — A driver rammed his car into a crowd at a sports centre in southern China, killing 35 people and severely injuring 43 in one of the deadliest attacks in contemporary Chinese history.

Chinese authorities took almost 24 hours to officially disclose the incident, which took place on Monday night in Zhuhai, a city of about 2.5 million people in southern China near Macau.

Images and videos showing dozens of people knocked to the ground and a car fleeing from the scene, which circulated on China’s major social media platforms on Monday night, were swiftly censored. Angry comments about the official delay in reporting the incident were also removed, and the Weibo messaging site censored a hashtag that mentioned the death toll.

Police said the 62-year-old driver, with the surname Fan, had been captured and was hospitalised for wounds believed to have been self-inflicted with a knife to the neck and other parts of his body. Fan had been upset about the split of assets in his divorce settlement, police added.

Jury finds US defense contractor liable in torture at Abu Ghraib prison

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — A federal jury on Tuesday found U.S. defense contractor CACI International liable for its role in torture at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad during the Iraq war and ordered it to pay $42 million in damages.

The jury’s verdict found the Virginia-based company liable in the torture of Iraqi men at the prison in 2003-2004 and ordered it to pay each of the three plaintiffs $14 million in damages, the Center for Constitutional Rights, which represented the plaintiffs, said in a statement.

Tuesday’s verdict marked the first time a civilian contractor was held legally responsible for the torture at the prison.

The torture of prisoners held by U.S. forces during the Iraq war at the facility became a scandal during former President George W. Bush’s administration after pictures of the abuse emerged in 2004.

The photos showed U.S. troops smiling, laughing and giving thumbs up as prisoners were forced into humiliating positions including a naked human pyramid and simulated sex. Detainees said they endured physical and sexual abuse, infliction of electric shocks and mock executions.

CACI denies its employees engaged in torture and said it will appeal Tuesday’s verdict, calling it disappointing. CACI employees worked as interrogators at the prison under contract with the U.S. government.

Former Trump adviser Bannon returns to court

NEW YORK (Reuters) — Steve Bannon, a former adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, returned to court on Tuesday ahead of his trial on criminal fraud charges over a push to fund Trump’s signature border wall, weeks after he was released from prison on a separate conviction.

Bannon, 70, is scheduled to stand trial starting on Dec. 9 in New York state court in Manhattan. Prosecutors say he deceived donors who contributed more than $15 million in 2019 to a private fundraising drive to build a barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border. He has pleaded not guilty.

At the hearing, Bannon’s defense lawyer John Carman urged Acting Justice April Newbauer to delay the trial until January due to additional evidence prosecutors were seeking to introduce.

Newbauer did not rule on that request, but said she would hold a hearing on Monday to determine whether the evidence could be presented at trial.

Kraft Heinz pulls Lunchables meals from low-income lunch program

NEW YORK (Reuters) — Kraft Heinz is no longer making its packaged lunch brand Lunchables for low-income students receiving free and reduced-priced meals from a federal program due to weak demand, according to a company statement, the latest blow to one of its best-known products.

Chicago-based Kraft Heinz announced plans to sell to the school lunch program early last year at an industry conference, saying it would target the $25-billion educational market.

But demand fell short of the packaged food manufacturer’s expectations, the company said, as it looks to revive its well-worn brands such as Lunchables, Jell-O and Crystal Light, and grow sales volumes, which have faltered after multiple price hikes.

Kansas man wants his Jan. 6 trial delayed until Trump inauguration

(TNS) — A Kansas man facing a felony and several misdemeanor charges in connection with the Capitol riot is asking the federal court to continue his upcoming trial date until after President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.

William Pope, of Topeka, said it would be a waste of time and resources to follow through with his prosecution because Trump has pledged to pardon Jan. 6 defendants when he takes office.

Pope is among a group of Jan. 6 defendants who have filed motions to continue their cases until next year, citing Trump’s repeated campaign pledge to pardon them. Trump has referred to the defendants as “political prisoners” and “hostages.”

FAA bans US airlines from flying into Haiti for 30 days

(TNS) — All U.S. airlines and other and commercial operators have been banned from flying into Haiti for at least 30 days, the Federal Aviation Administration announced Tuesday.

The decision came a day after a Spirit Airlines and JetBlue Airways flights sustained gunfire over Port-au-Prince airspace on Monday. The Spirit flight was a mile east of Toussaint Louverture International Airport when it was fired upon and the JetBlue fight had just taken off and was bound for New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. No passengers were injured, the airlines said, but a spokesperson for Spirit said that a flight attendant sustained minor injuries.

In response to the incident, JetBlue announced cancellation of flights until Dec. 2, while American Airlines said flights would be canceled until Thursday. Spirit, which canceled flights out of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport into both Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien, said flights were canceled pending an investigation of the shooting.

Russia targets child-free lifestyles

(NYT) — Russian lawmakers on Tuesday voted to ban the advocacy of child-free lifestyles, in a move that is part of a broader effort by the Kremlin to reverse a falling birthrate and promote the country as a bastion of traditional values that is battling a decadent West.

The State Duma, or lower house of parliament, unanimously approved a bill that would ban any form of “propaganda” promoting the “refusal to have children.” That would include material on the internet, in media outlets, in movies and in advertising that portrays child-free lifestyles as attractive.

Violators would be subjected to fines of up to about $4,000 for individuals and $50,000 for legal entities.

The bill has been broadly endorsed by the Kremlin and is expected to receive approval from the Federation Council, the upper chamber of parliament, and then be signed into law by President Vladimir Putin.

San Francisco wins order blocking Oakland’s airport from using ‘San Francisco’ name

(Reuters) — A U.S. judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked the Port of Oakland from using “San Francisco” in the Oakland airport’s name, finding the name change would likely cause consumer confusion and harm the city of San Francisco.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Hixson said in the decision that changing the name of Metropolitan Oakland International Airport in nearby Oakland to “San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport” would likely mislead consumers into thinking it is connected with San Francisco.