Nation and world news in brief for November 6

G7 countries and others condemn N. Korean cooperation with Russia

KYIV, Ukraine (TNS) — Foreign ministers from the world’s seven leading industrialized democracies and other countries on Tuesday condemned “in the strongest possible terms” the increasing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia.

In a joint statement, the diplomats expressed their “grave concerns regarding the deployment of DPRK troops to Russia, potentially for the use on the battlefield against Ukraine.”

DPRK is the acronym of the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

The United States estimates there are as many as 12,000 North Korean troops in Russia, with 10,000 of those in the Kursk region.

Calif. finalizes $122 million opioid settlement with Kroger

(TNS) — California will receive $122 million in a settlement agreement with Kroger, the grocery chain and parent company of Ralphs, to resolve lawsuits over its alleged role in the opioid crisis and how its pharmacies dispensed prescription painkillers to customers.

The payment finalizes a deal the company struck last year to resolve nearly all the opioid-related claims filed against it.

Kroger did not admit to any wrongdoing or liability in the settlement, but it did agree to pay nearly $1.4 billion over the coming 11 years to California and other plaintiffs.

Kroger grocery stores, which do business in 35 states, provide pharmacy services to its customers in addition to selling food and other goods. The settlement agreement calls for the company to pay $1.2 billion to state and local governments and $36 million to Native American tribes for abatement programs, in addition to roughly $177 million for attorneys’ fees and court costs.

Two boats capsize off Northern California coast; two are dead and several are still missing

(TNS) — Two people have been confirmed dead and several more are missing after two separate boats capsized in the past few days off Northern California’s Bodega Bay amid increasingly dangerous winds.

Forecasters are warning that high winds are only expected to worsen through at least Wednesday, with several warnings issued across the state, both on land and for mariners.

On Saturday night around 10 p.m., officials responded to concerns about a 21-foot boat that didn’t return when expected. The vessel carried three adults and three minors who had been out crabbing, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office. The boaters hadn’t been heard from since 3 p.m., prompting rescue crews to begin searching in the dark of night.

Crews located debris from the boat along the coast and one person was found alive and taken for medical treatment, the sheriff’s office said. Another missing boater, Johnny Phommathep II, 17, was found dead.

Less than 48 hours later, around 7 a.m. Monday, officials received another call about a capsized boat in Bodega Bay, officials said. Teams were still out at sea searching for the missing boaters from Saturday’s incident, allowing them to quickly respond to the second boating incident. Officials said two men were aboard this boat, one of whom was found but died soon after.