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Man guilty of terrorism in stabbing
A man has been convicted of federal terrorism charges in the 2022 stabbing of author Salman Rushdie. A jury delivered its verdict Wednesday in Buffalo, New York.
Jurors found Hadi Matar guilty of all the charges against him, including engaging in an act of transnational terrorism. The 28-year-old had pleaded not guilty.
Washington
Teen didn't fire bullets that killed 2
SEATTLE -- Bullets recovered from two bystanders killed during a shootout at a Seattle festival last weekend do not appear to have come from the gun that a 15-year-old arrested at the scene was firing, police said in court documents.
The King County prosecutor's office filed charges of first-degree assault with a firearm enhancement as well as unlawful possession of a handgun by someone under 18. In a statement supporting the charges, police said the teen was seen firing an untraceable ghost gun into a crowd, but preliminary testing of bullets recovered from two bystanders killed showed they did not match that weapon.
District of Columbia
Trump asks court to toss $83M verdict
WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump and his administration are asking the Supreme Court to dismiss an $83 million defamation verdict won by writer E. Jean Carroll after she accused him of sexual assault.
This is the first time a court has assessed damages against a president for statements made while in office. The Justice Department filed papers seeking to invoke the Westfall Act, which shields government employees from being sued for doing their jobs.
World
France
Southern Europe burns in wildfires
LEGE-CAP FERRET -- Fire crews in southwest France are battling a massive blaze four times the size of Paris, while two firefighters were killed fighting a wind-driven blaze on the Greek island of Crete.
Temperatures in France are forecast to climb above 104 degrees Fahrenheit on Wednesday, complicating efforts. The fire has forced 220,000 people from their homes.
Ukraine
Two major Russian oil refineries hit
KYIV -- Ukraine says its forces have hit two of Russia's major oil refineries in their latest long-range strikes. Officials say the attacks are part of Kyiv's ongoing pressure on Moscow.
The strikes have targeted Russian oil facilities for months, causing a fuel crisis that embarrasses the Kremlin. Fires broke out at a Lukoil refinery in Russia's Perm region and another in Ryazan. The refineries are crucial for Russia's military and government revenue.
Japan
Death toll in earthquake rises to 18
KUMAMOTO -- Soldiers and emergency workers are combing through a badly damaged shopping mall and collapsed houses looking for trapped survivors Wednesday after a powerful earthquake that killed at least 18 people in southwestern Japan.
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit a day earlier in the Kumamoto area on the southern main island of Kyushu. The prefectural government said it left at least 62 people injured, six of them seriously. It remains unclear how many people might still be missing.