North America

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of people signed petitions this year backing proposed ballot initiatives to expand voting access, ensure abortion rights and legalize recreational marijuana in Arizona, Arkansas and Michigan.

Yet voters might not get a say because Republican officials or judges have blocked the proposals from the November elections, citing flawed wording, procedural shortcomings or insufficient petition signatures.

MYERSTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Larry Mitko voted for Donald Trump in 2016. But the Republican from Beaver County in western Pennsylvania says he has no plans to back his party’s nominee for Senate, Dr. Mehmet Oz — “no way, no how.”

Mitko doesn’t feel like he knows the celebrity heart surgeon, who only narrowly won his May primary with Trump’s backing. Instead, Mitko plans to vote for Oz’s Democratic rival, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, a name he’s been familiar with since Fetterman’s days as mayor of nearby Braddock.

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A man who stole a plane and flew it over northern Mississippi after threatening to crash it into a Walmart faces charges of grand larceny and terroristic threats, authorities said Saturday.

(AP) --- Officials on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border searched for more victims Saturday after at least nine migrants died while trying to cross the rain-swollen Rio Grande river, a dangerous border-crossing attempt in an area where the water level had risen by more than 2 feet in a single day.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s new moon rocket sprang another dangerous fuel leak Saturday, forcing launch controllers to call off their second attempt to send a crew capsule into lunar orbit with test dummies.

The first attempt earlier in the week was also marred by escaping hydrogen, but those leaks were elsewhere on the 322-foot (98-meter) rocket, the most powerful ever built by NASA.

UNITED NATIONS, Sep 02 (APP): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned Friday’s attack at a mosque in western Afghanistan that left 18 people dead and 23 injured, according to a UN spokesperson.

“The Secretary-General condemns today’s attack and conveys his deep condolences to
the families of those killed and wishes a prompt recovery to the injured,” Spokesperson
Eri Kaneo said in a statement at the regular noon briefing.

“The right to freedom of religion must be protected at all times,” the statement added.

NEW YORK, Sept 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Oil prices fell yesterday, amid strength in the U.S. dollar.

The West Texas Intermediate for Oct delivery lost 2.94 U.S. dollars, or 3.3 percent, to settle at 86.61 dollars a barrel, on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude for Nov delivery decreased 3.28 dollars, or 3.4 percent, to close at 92.36 dollars a barrel, on the London ICE Futures Exchange.

Sept 2 (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve is seen sticking to sharp interest rate hikes in coming months to cool inflation, but rising U.S. unemployment and a slowdown in wage growth has traders betting that borrowing costs next year may not end up quite as high as previously anticipated.

That's the read from markets after the Labor Department reported Friday that employers added a more-than-expected 315,000 jobs last month, the unemployment rate rose to 3.7% from 3.5% as more workers joined the labor force, and wage growth slowed from its earlier torrid pace. 

MEXICO CITY, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Satellites recorded another large methane leak at an offshore platform belonging to Mexico's Pemex in August, according to exclusive data shared with Reuters, even as pressure mounts on the state oil company to reduce these emissions.

Three satellites recorded images of methane plumes at the Ku-Maloob-Zaap oil field cluster in the Gulf of Mexico during six days between Aug 5 and Aug 29, said Itziar Irakulis-Loitxate, a scientist from the Polytechnic University of Valencia.

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday warned of challenges for peacekeeping operations, while calling for increased capabilities to meet global policing needs.

Addressing the third UN Chiefs of Police Summit, Guterres said the gathering comes at a critical time for the United Nations Police, for peacekeeping as well as for the global community.