Friend of Calif. shooters is indicted
Friend of Calif. shooters is indicted
RIVERSIDE, Calif.
A friend of one of the shooters in the San Bernardino massacre that killed 14 people was indicted Wednesday on charges that include conspiring in a pair of previous planned attacks and making false statements when he bought the guns used in this month’s shootings, authorities said.
The indictment by a federal grand jury avoids the need for a probable-cause hearing before a judge to determine whether Enrique Marquez Jr., 24, should stand trial on the five counts that could send him to prison for 50 years if he’s convicted.
Rescue crews help in flood evacuations
ST. LOUIS
As swollen rivers and streams pushed to heights not seen in nearly a quarter-century, officials in Missouri and Illinois helped residents get to higher ground Wednesday amid fears that already dire conditions could worsen as floodwaters began spilling over federal levees protecting communities and farmland.
In Eureka, southwest of St. Louis, firefighters and their boats have been in high demand since Tuesday, accounting for roughly four dozen rescues of people in their homes, businesses or vehicles.
Egyptian officials raid arts venues
CAIRO
Egyptian officials raided two prominent cultural venues – a popular art gallery and a publishing house – questioning workers about their activities, taking equipment and closing the gallery, in what activists Wednesday warned was part of a campaign to intimidate opposition voices ahead of the fifth anniversary of the country’s uprising.
Authorities have been showing wariness over the possibility of protests to mark the Jan. 25 anniversary of the 2011 uprising that removed longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak. Last week, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi warned against any such protests, saying they could result in chaos. The arts venues in downtown Cairo are popular among activists.
Temporary halt to chapter defunding
SALT LAKE CITY
A federal appeals court Wednesday put an emergency hold on Utah’s move to defund the state Planned Parenthood chapter.
The decision by the Denver-based 10th Circuit Court of Appeals allows federal money to temporarily keep flowing to the Planned Parenthood Association of Utah while the court considers whether to order a longer hold.
Republican Gov. Gary Herbert wants to end $275,000 in contracts with Planned Parenthood for sex education and testing for sexually transmitted diseases.
A federal judge had allowed Utah to cut off the money at the end of 2015, but the state Planned Parenthood branch appealed that decision.
Israel OKs budget for Arab citizens
JERUSALEM
Israel on Wednesday approved a reported billion-dollar budget meant to improve the living conditions of its Arab citizens, who have long suffered discrimination and are among the country’s poorest residents.
The government did not release the exact amount approved, but Israeli media reported it was between 10 and 15 billion shekels ($2.5 billion to $3.8 billion), to be spread over four to five years. It will be devoted to education, transportation, housing, culture, sports and other areas.
Associated Press