Nation and world news in brief for August 8

Delta passengers sue airline for refusing refunds after massive computer outage

(Reuters) — Delta Air Lines was sued by passengers who complained that the carrier refused to offer full refunds after delaying or canceling their flights in the wake of last month’s massive computer outage.

The proposed class action was made public on Wednesday in Atlanta federal court, after the July 19 outage disrupted airlines, banks, hospitals and emergency lines.

Passengers accused Delta of breach of contract for failing to provide automatic refunds, and providing partial refunds only if they signed waivers against pursuing further legal claims.

They also said Delta should compensate them for the cost and inconvenience of rebooking with other airlines, hotels and food, and from being separated from their luggage.

Minnesota court upholds Walz-backed law restoring felons’ right to vote

(Reuters) — The Minnesota Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a law signed last year by Governor Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, that restores the right to vote for felons who have completed their prison terms.

The court’s unanimous ruling did not address the merits of the law, instead finding that the conservative group that had challenged the law, the Minnesota Voters Alliance, did not have the legal standing to do so.

Taylor Swift Vienna concerts cancelled, Chancellor says tragedy averted

BERLIN (Reuters) — Taylor Swift’s three concerts in Vienna this week were cancelled after the government confirmed a planned attack at the stadium, the organizer announced late on Wednesday, and Austria’s Chancellor Karl Nehammer said “a tragedy was prevented”.

“With confirmation from government officials of a planned terrorist attack at Ernst Happel Stadium, we have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety,” Barracuda.music said in a post on Instagram, adding all tickets would be automatically refunded.

Austrian police on Wednesday detained two people suspected of plotting attacks on concerts, Franz Ruf, director general for public security, said at a news conference on Wednesday evening.

Canada to fund health study on how oil sands impact Indigenous communities

(Reuters) — Canada will fund an Indigenous-led study into how oil sands development impacts the health of local communities, the government said on Wednesday, following a tailings water leak from an Imperial Oil site that heightened pollution concerns.

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said Ottawa would provide C$12 million ($8.71 million) over 10 years for the Fort Chipewyan Health Study, which may include an assessment of whether there are heightened risks of cancer for communities downstream of the oil sands region.

Fort Chipewyan is one of several Indigenous communities in remote Northern Alberta that last year learned that tailings water – a toxic mix of bitumen, sand and residual bitumen – had been seeping for months from Imperial’s nearby Kearl mining site.

For years those communities have reported higher rates of cancer and other health issues including autoimmune diseases, skin irritations and severe arthritis, Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation told reporters on a conference call. He added that his community first called for a health study in 1992.

Arab and Western nations urge restraint as Israel-Iran tensions simmer

JERUSALEM (NYT) — Arab and Western countries, seeking to head off a major regional conflict in the Middle East, are urging Iran to show restraint after it vowed to attack Israel in retaliation for the killing of Hamas’ political leader in Tehran last week.

The diplomatic push by Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which have close ties to Washington, came as the United States, France and other countries have also been trying to lower tensions in the Middle East and renew stalled efforts to achieve a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

Anxiety across the region has been running high since an explosion in Tehran — widely attributed to Israel — killed Hamas’ political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, on July 31, just hours after an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon killed a top Hezbollah commander, Fouad Shukur.

Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon have vowed to retaliate for both killings. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has promised, in turn, to “exact a heavy price for any act of aggression against us, from whatever quarter.”

Ukraine launches rare cross-border ground assault into Russia

KYIV, Ukraine (NYT) — Ukraine has launched a surprise ground assault into Russia with troops and armored vehicles, Russian officials and independent military analysts said Wednesday, in what could be one of the largest Ukrainian incursions onto Russian soil in more than two years of war.

The assault, which began Tuesday in the Kursk region of western Russia, has resulted in heavy fighting, according to images from the battlefield verified by independent military analysts and Russian statements.

Videos verified by The New York Times showed armored vehicles being struck several miles inside Russia, and Moscow said it had rushed troops and fighter jets to respond. Gen. Valery V. Gerasimov, the commander of Russian forces fighting in Ukraine, said the advance of Ukrainian troops had been halted Wednesday evening, while pro-Kremlin military bloggers said Ukrainian forces had captured several settlements near the border.

By Wednesday evening, Ukrainian troops appeared to have advanced several miles into Russian territory, one analyst said, and Russian officials said the fighting was continuing.

The various reports could not be independently verified, and Ukrainian authorities have not commented on the assault. Two spokespeople for the Ukrainian army did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

UAW chief criticizes Trump ties to Musk while campaigning for Harris

DETROIT (Reuters) — United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain on Wednesday criticized Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s ties to billionaire Elon Musk while campaigning for Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.

Musk endorsed Trump for November’s election after the former president survived an assassination attempt in July. Later that month, the Wall Street Journal reported Musk planned to commit around $45 million a month to a new pro-Trump super political-action committee. However, after that report’s publication, both Musk and Trump said the Tesla CEO never pledged any such donation.