Justice department files $100 million claim in fatal Baltimore bridge collapse
(NYTimes) — The U.S. Justice Department filed a legal claim Wednesday against the owner and operator of the container ship that collapsed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March, killing six workers and paralyzing the Port of Baltimore for weeks. The lawsuit asserts that the companies’ actions leading up to the catastrophe were “outrageous, grossly negligent, willful, wanton, and reckless.” The government is seeking more than $100 million in damages to cover the costs of the emergency response to the disaster and the federal aid to port employees who were put out of work. The action Wednesday did not name an amount for the punitive damages the department was seeking.
Deep links between alcohol and cancer are described in new report
(NYTimes) — Adults younger than 50 have been developing breast cancer and colorectal cancer at increasingly higher rates over the last few decades, and alcohol use may be one factor driving the trend, according to a scientific report published Wednesday. The report, by the American Association for Cancer Research, highlights scientific breakthroughs that have led to new anticancer drugs and improved overall survival. But even as cancer death rates have declined, the overall incidence of several cancers has been rising, with an especially alarming increase among younger adults in cancers of the gastrointestinal system. The report estimates that 40% of all cancer cases are associated with modifiable risk factors.
Tupperware, food container pioneer, files for bankruptcy
(NYTimes) — Tupperware Brands, whose name became synonymous with plastic food containers in kitchens across America, filed for bankruptcy protection Tuesday after struggling for years with declining sales and increasing competition. Tupperware said it would seek court approval to facilitate a sale and to keep operating during the bankruptcy case, which was filed in Delaware. In filings, Tupperware, along with certain subsidiaries, said that it had assets of about $680 million and debts of $1.2 billion. Tupperware said in June that it was closing its only remaining U.S. manufacturing plant, located in South Carolina, and laying off 148 employees there by January.
Boeing to begin temporary layoffs because of strike
(NYTimes) — Boeing will start furloughing tens of thousands of employees in the coming days as it seeks to blunt the effects of a strike involving its largest union, the company said Wednesday. The strike, which began Friday, has drastically slowed production of commercial airplanes because most of the union’s more than 33,000 members work in manufacturing in the Seattle area. Employees will continue to receive benefits. And, for some, the temporary furloughs will be cycled in, with workers taking one week off every four weeks, on a rolling basis. It was not immediately clear which workers would be affected by the furloughs.
Russia seizes eastern town as Ukraine hits big ammunition depot
(NYTimes) — Ukraine hit a big Russian ammunition depot with drones early Wednesday. The attack came just hours after the Russian military claimed to have captured the town of Ukrainsk, as Moscow continues a steady advance in eastern Ukraine. Control of Ukrainsk, confirmed by battlefield footage, brings Russia one step closer to its goal of seizing all of the eastern Donetsk region. Ukrainsk, once home to 10,000 residents, lies on the path to the city of Kurakhove, a defensive stronghold. The capture of Ukrainsk and the Ukrainian drone strikes, which hit in the northwestern Russian town of Toropets, highlighted one of the main dynamics of the war in recent months.
10-year-old student is stabbed near Japanese school in China
(NYTimes) — A 10-year-old student was stabbed near a Japanese school in southern China on Wednesday, according to the Japanese and Chinese foreign ministries, in what appeared to be the latest in a spate of knife attacks on foreigners. A 44-year-old man, with the surname Zhong, was in custody, according to a statement from the police in Shenzhen, the city where the attack occurred. The student was taken to a hospital. Neither the Chinese nor the Japanese authorities specified the nationality of the victim, according to the Shenzhen police. A string of recent attacks has fueled fears that xenophobia and nationalism in China are spilling over into violence.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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