Shark sightings close parts of Coney Island beach

Shark sightings close parts of Coney Island beach

NEW YORK

Parts of New York City’s Coney Island beach have been closed for several hours because of reports of sharks in the area.

The city parks department says stretches of the beach were closed Tuesday “because sharks have been sighted in certain areas of Coney Island.”

The director of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s New York Aquarium says shark sightings are a reminder the city and its waterways are home to “fascinating marine wildlife.”

Aquarium director Jon Forrest Dohlin says wildlife sightings are opportunities “to appreciate the wonder, beauty and diversity of the ocean.”

China criticizes protests over ruling

BEIJING

China’s state media is criticizing scattered street protests by young people angry over an international tribunal’s ruling last week that denied Beijing’s claim to virtually the entire South China Sea.

Over recent days, protesters have gathered outside KFC restaurants in several cities, unfurling banners and calling for a boycott of the U.S. chain.

The official China Daily said Wednesday such actions interfered with legitimate business and humiliate customers by accusing them of being unpatriotic. It said that while such random acts are an expression of patriotism, in the end they “do a disservice to the spirit of devotion to the nation.” The editorial echoed one Tuesday in the Communist Party newspaper People’s Daily.

China generally forbids most forms of protest, but is also wary of being accused of stifling patriotism.

Man detained in Twitter threat against chief

SAN FRANCISCO

A San Francisco official says a man who purportedly tweeted a threat against the department’s acting police chief is in police custody.

Officer Carlos Manfredi says 60-year-old Donald Hoganson was taken into custody Tuesday.

Manfredi says police began investigating after a tweet posted Saturday called for beheading Chief Toney Chaplin, who is black, and included a photo of the chief beside a guillotine.

He says Hoganson was taken into custody after a judge approved a search warrant of the man’s San Francisco home.

Manfredi says Hoganson has not been formally booked and that the investigation is ongoing.

Hoganson’s Twitter account is filled with photographs of swastikas and messages about white supremacy.

Man charged in spate of San Diego homeless killings

SAN DIEGO

A man with a long criminal record and history of mental illness has been charged with a string of deadly attacks on sleeping homeless men in San Diego, two of whom were set on fire.

A judge agreed Tuesday to give 39-year-old Jon David Guerrero two weeks to enter a plea, ensuring that many open questions wouldn’t be addressed in court. Prosecutor Makenzie Harvey declined to discuss possible motives or weapons used to kill three homeless men.

The prosecutor says two others wounded in the attacks spanning 13 days are expected to survive.

Guerrero faces a maximum penalty of life in prison without parole if convicted of murder and attempted murder and may be eligible for the death penalty.

He gave a short statement to reporters that yielded little insight into his possible defense.

Associated Press