Mob-backed sports gambling and loansharking operation busted in Staten Island (2024)

Polls open in the Netherlands, starting key voting period for the EU Parliament, with the far-right tipped to make gains.

Called “Tokyo Futari Story,” the city hall’s new site is just that: An effort to create couples, “futari,” in a country where it is increasingly common to be “hitori,” or alone. A mobile app is under development, with hopes to offer it later this year, a city official said Thursday. Marriage is on the decline in Japan, where the birth rate has nose-dived for years. Details are still undecided. City hall declined comment on Japanese media reports that said confirmation of identity and tax records will be required. Japan has been trying to solve a serious labor shortage by providing more financial incentives for young families as well as relaxing immigration policy to attract foreign workers.

A toddler has been killed and his mother was injured when a tornado struck suburban Detroit without warning. Officials in Livonia, Michigan, say the tornado tore through several neighborhoods on Wednesday afternoon and developed so quickly that there was no advance notice from the National Weather Service or others that would have normally led to the activation of warning sirens. The storm uprooted a tree that fell on one family’s house, landing on a bed where a woman and her 2-year-old were sleeping. To the east in Maryland, five people were injured when a tornado collapsed structures and trapped people inside.

Nepal's abundant hydroelectric power is helping the Himalayan nation cut its oil imports and clean up its air, thanks to a boom in sales of electric vehicles. Nearly all of the electricity produced in Nepal is clean energy, most of it generated by river-fed hydro-electricity. Nepal’s imports of EVs have doubled in each of the past two years, allowing the country to save its precious foreign currency instead of spending it on imports of oil and other fuels. But EVs are not going to fully clear Kathmandu's smog, since the country also relies heavily on burning of biofuels for cooking and heating.

Brian Masaba’s Uganda lineup scraped to a three-wicket victory in a low-scoring thriller against Papua New Guinea for their first win at a Twenty20 World Cup. Then they lined up on the boundary rope and bowed to acknowledge the cricket fans who traveled from Africa to the Caribbean to support them. Uganda bowled PNG out for 77 but had difficulty chasing the low target and had already lost half their wickets when they slumped to 26 for 5. Riazat Ali Shah and Juma Miyagi steadied the innings and put Uganda on course for victory in just their second game at a cricket T20 World Cup.

NBA

Kentucky pole vaulter Keaton Daniel and shot putter Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan of Mississippi both completed NCAA indoor/outdoor sweeps at the outdoor track and field championships. Daniel cleared 18 feet, 7 1/4 inches on Wednesday night to become the first Wildcat to win both indoor and outdoor NCAA pole vault championships in the same season. Robinson-O’Hagan led wire to wire in reaching 68-6 on his final throw to defend his indoor shot put title and become the 17th thrower in Division I history to claim both titles in a season. USC topped the team standings with 19 points. Georgia was second with 13.

Pro athletes understand gambling on their games is a non-negotiable no-no. Some learned the hard way

ANAHEIM — The end of another academic year has arrived and with it, a sense of accomplishment that Nolan Schanuel and Zach Neto know all so well.

World War II veterans are joining heads of state and others on the beaches of Normandy to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day. The Allied invasion, which began on June 6, 1944, led to the defeat of the Nazis and the end of the war. The assault began with Allied aircraft bombing German defenses in Normandy, followed by around 1,200 aircraft that carried airborne troops. As dawn broke, Allied forces started bombing German coastal defenses and shortly after that vessels began putting troops ashore on five codenamed beaches: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. By the end of the day, nearly 160,000 Allied troops had landed in Normandy. There were thousands of casualties. Few witnesses to history’s biggest amphibious invasion remain alive today.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — A’ja Wilson had 36 points, 14 rebounds and six steals to help the Las Vegas Aces beat the Dallas Wings 95-81 on Wednesday night.

Redemption-minded Celtics set to match up with opportunistic Mavericks in NBA Finals

Napheesa Collier had 25 points and nine rebounds, and the Minnesota Lynx eased by the Los Angeles Sparks 86-62 on Wednesday night for coach Cheryl Reeve’s 307th regular-season victory. Reeve moved past Bill Laimbeer (306) for second on the WNBA list, trailing just Mike Thibault with 379. Collier scored 11 points in the first quarter to help Minnesota build a 27-12 lead. The Lynx led 45-26 at the break as Los Angeles made just 10 of 44 shots from the field (23%). Dearica Hamby had 17 points and 11 rebounds for Los Angeles (2-7).

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Nolan Schanuel and Zach Neto homered as the Los Angeles Angels finished off a three-game sweep of San Diego with a 3-2 victory after Padres star Manny Machado injured a leg. The Padres announced after the game Machado suffered a right hip flexor strain. Machado was hurt after running out an attempted double play ball during the fourth inning. He was looked at by a trainer before walking gingerly back to the first-base dugout. Fernando Tatis Jr. had the seventh four-hit game of his career as the Padres dropped four straight on the road for the first time this season. It was the first time since last July against the Yankees that the Angels swept a three-game series at home.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

THROUGH JUNE 5

THROUGH JUNE 5

NATIONAL LEAGUE

THROUGH JUNE 5

Israel’s military says it targeted 'Hamas compound' in a school. Hamas-linked media says 39 killed

Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama and Somalia are set to get seats on the U.N. Security Council. A secret ballot is set Thursday in the General Assembly to elect five countries to serve two-year terms on the council. The 10 non-permanent seats on the 15-member council are allotted to regional groups who usually select their candidates. Sometimes the regional groups can't agree on their candidate and the race is contested, but there are no such surprises this year. The regional groups put forward Somalia for an African seat, Pakistan for an Asia-Pacific seat, Panama for a Latin America and Caribbean seat, and Denmark and Greece for two mainly Western seats.

Jurors in Hunter Biden’s criminal trial got a look at the gun he bought in October 2018. They saw the firearms transaction record at the center of the case. And they’re hearing testimony from the former store clerk who watched as the president’s son checked off “no” to the question of whether he was “an unlawful user of or addicted to” marijuana, stimulants, narcotics or any other controlled substance. Federal prosecutors have argued Hunter Biden was in the throes of a heavy crack addiction when he bought the gun, and they’ve accused him of lying on the form. He says he's not guilty.

More than a dozen Israeli settlers have been targeted by international sanctions over accusations of attacks and harassment against Palestinians in the West Bank. The measures are meant as a deterrent. They expose people to asset freezes and travel and visa bans. But the measures have had minimal impact, instead emboldening settlers as attacks and land-grabbing escalate. That's according to West Bank Palestinians, rights groups and sanctioned Israelis who spoke to The Associated Press. Communities donated money and held fundraisers, making tens of thousands for some settlers. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich calls sanctions a mistake but wouldn't comment directly on reports of his intervention. He's a settler who lives in the West Bank.

A sense of uncertainty prevails among migrants after President Joe Biden invoked powers to suspend asylum for people who cross the border illegally. Homeland Security Department officials say the first deportations occurred Wednesday under the rule, which is triggered when border arrests top 2,500 a day. A Mexican woman who crossed the border near San Diego hoped the rule was still being finalized and that she wasn't too late. A Colombian man released just before the measure took effect says he doesn't know whether to believe Border Patrol agents who told him those who came after him will be deported.

Donald Trump is returning to the campaign trail with a trip to Arizona, his first appearance in a battleground state since he was convicted in a hush money scandal. Trump is scheduled to speak Thursday at a town hall in Phoenix organized by Turning Point, a conservative youth organization that has seen its influence rise alongside Trump’s takeover of the GOP. Trump responded defiantly to the verdict a day after a New York jury found him guilty last week of a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a p*rn actor. But he has not spoken directly to the swing-state voters who will decide the November election.

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All Times EDT

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All Times EDT

AMERICAN LEAGUE

ARLINGTON, Texas — It might’ve just taken an impromptu Detroit Tigers bullpen game to reignite the Texas Rangers’ offense. It would take a whole lot more to maintain those flames if their best hitter is forced to miss any amount of considerable time.

Joey Estes took a perfect game into the seventh inning, Mason Miller had a five-out save and the Oakland Athletics beat the Seattle Mariners 2-1 on Wednesday night. The A’s, who have dropped three straight series, can snap the skid with a victory Thursday. The Mariners had won eight of their last nine. Zack Gelof hit a home run in the third, and Daz Cameron scored on a passed ball in the sixth after he had advanced from first to third on a wild pickoff throw. Estes (2-1), making his seventh career start, did not allow a baserunner until J.P. Crawford led off the seventh inning with a double. The right-hander left the game one batter later after throwing 78 pitches and striking out five.

At what age should kids be on social media? Should they be on it at all? If they aren’t, will they be social pariahs? Should parents monitor their conversations? Do parental controls work? Navigating social media as a parent — not to mention a child — is not easy. Using social media platforms is still the default for most American teenagers. But parents — and even some teens themselves — are growing increasingly concerned about the effects of social media use on young people. So how can parents help kids stay safe? There is no magic bullet, but experts recommend, above all, open communication.

A ghost from recent election cycles — controversies over certification of results — is beginning to re-emerge as the nation heads closer to the fall presidential contest. Conspiracy theorists on local canvassing boards already have delayed certifications in two major presidential swing states during this year's primaries. Some election officials and Democrats are concerned that Republicans will deploy the strategy broadly in the fall if the presidential race is very narrowly decided. Even if those efforts ultimately fail, election officials worry they’ll become a vehicle for promoting bogus election claims. Nonpartisan groups say lawsuits and recounts are the proper way to contest ballot counts, not attempting to hold up certification.

Israel’s military says it targeted 'Hamas compound' in a school. Hamas-linked media says 39 killed

South Africa is in a moment of deep soul-searching after an election that brought a jarring split from the African National Congress party. The ANC is the party of Nelson Mandela and the very organization that gave South Africans freedom and democracy 30 years ago. In the days after the vote that ended its majority, South Africans were dealing with essential questions over not just where they were going, but what they’d achieved in their young democracy since bringing down the apartheid system of white minority rule in 1994. Yet amid the introspection, some urged South Africans to be proud that the momentous change had come through a strong democratic process.

Today in History

A growing number of experts say the most realistic and effective way of teaching children about social media is a slow, deliberate onboarding, rather than an outright ban or allowing free reign. That middle ground approach gives children the tools and information they need to navigate a world in which places like TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat are almost impossible to escape. While parents are definitely part of the equation, many point to schools as the key place where all children can learn about “digital citizenship." But such programs are still few and far between. Over the past decade or so, nonprofits and advocacy groups have popped up to offer help.

A growing number of experts say the most realistic and effective way of teaching children about social media is a slow, deliberate onboarding, rather than an outright ban or allowing free reign. That middle ground approach gives children the tools and information they need to navigate a world in which places like TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat are almost impossible to escape. While parents are definitely part of the equation, many point to schools as the key place where all children can learn about “digital citizenship.” But such programs are still few and far between. Over the past decade or so, nonprofits and advocacy groups have popped up to offer help.