Author: DispatchTimes News Desk

The San Francisco Opera Orchestra went on strike on Saturday, September 12, forcing the cancellation of the company’s opening-night performance and a free concert planned for the following day. The walkout came shortly before the curtain was due to rise on Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra at the War Memorial Opera House, which was to launch San Francisco Opera’s 104th season. Musicians said negotiations over a new contract had broken down after talks on Saturday. Their previous agreement expired on July 31, and they are represented by American Federation of Musicians Local 6. In a statement, the orchestra said management’s offers were…

Donald Trump has said Irish reunification “would be a fantastic thing” and predicted that the island will eventually be united, during a meeting with Ireland’s taoiseach, Micheál Martin. The US president acknowledged that the subject was politically sensitive before voicing his support. “Well, I don’t want to cause any trouble,” he said. “But I will tell you, I’d love to see it unified.” Trump later pointed towards Mr Martin and said: “It’s going to happen eventually. … I think it will happen now. You’ve got the right man over here to get it moving.” “But yeah, I think it would…

Indonesian rescuers have launched a search operation for a missing passenger ship carrying 241 people in the Java Sea while travelling from East Java to South Kalimantan. Contact with the Virgo Transport 8 was lost at about 2am on Sunday local time, with the vessel’s operator reporting the incident after receiving information that it had encountered bad weather. There were no immediate reports of casualties. The ship had left Surabaya at 10.13am on Saturday and was bound for Banjarmasin, the capital of South Kalimantan on the island of Borneo. Its last known position was about 92 miles from a pier…

More than two years after Kenny Davidson was shot dead in Kenosha, Wisconsin, his mother is still waiting for answers. No arrests have been made in the fatal shooting, and police say the investigation remains active. Davidson, 32, was killed on 14 June 2024 near 36th Avenue and 47th Street, shortly after 9.20pm. He had travelled from Washington state to attend his grandmother’s funeral, according to his mother, Yolanda McKenzie. McKenzie said her son had gone for a walk with a friend before he was shot. She described him as protective, loving and loyal, and said his absence was felt…

Cronulla chief executive Dino Mezzatesta has called for a blanket policy requiring NRL finals to be played at major stadiums, after the Sharks’ clash with North Queensland was moved from their home ground and attracted only 17,429 spectators. Cronulla beat the Cowboys 26-16 at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night, but the attendance was only around 2,500 higher than the capacity of Ocean Protect Stadium, the Sharks’ regular home venue. The Australian Rugby League Commission retains discretion over the location of week-one finals, with the stated aim of preventing supporters from being locked out of smaller suburban grounds. That discretion was…

Donald Trump’s childhood home in Queens has sold for $1.93 million after an extensive renovation transformed the once-neglected property. The five-bedroom Tudor-style house in Jamaica Estates was bought by an unidentified purchaser in July, with the final price revealed on Friday. The sale represents a substantial return for developer Tommy Lin, who paid $835,000 for the property last year. Lin spent about $500,000 and eight months gutting and refurbishing the roughly 3,100 sq ft residence, which had been described as a wreck when it was first put on the market. The makeover gave the house a modernised interior featuring a…

A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration acted unlawfully in ordering cuts that would have halved the workforce of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). US District Judge Susan Illston said the Department of Homeland Security’s plan to remove more than 11,000 FEMA employees by the end of September was “arbitrary and capricious”. The proposed reductions included thousands of temporary, full-time staff who help communities prepare for and recover from disasters. “Frankly, the FEMA staffing plan number appears as if pulled from thin air,” Judge Illston wrote in her ruling on Friday. The administration did not ultimately implement…

Texas produced a stunning comeback against Ohio State, overturning a 20-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the top-ranked Buckeyes 24-23 in Austin on Saturday night. The Longhorns appeared out of the contest after falling 23-3 entering the final period, but quarterback Arch Manning sparked a remarkable revival at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Texas completes dramatic comeback against Ohio State Manning found Ryan Wingo for a three-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter before Hollywood Smothers added two scores to complete the turnaround. Smothers’ first touchdown, a one-yard run, cut Ohio State’s advantage to six points with 7min…

Cronulla chief executive Dino Mezzatesta has called for a blanket NRL finals venue policy after the Sharks’ home qualifying final was moved to Allianz Stadium, where only 17,429 spectators watched their 26-16 defeat of North Queensland. The attendance was around 2,500 higher than the capacity of Cronulla’s regular home ground, Ocean Protect Stadium, prompting renewed debate over whether clubs should be allowed to host finals at suburban venues. Under rules outlined to clubs at the start of the season, the Australian Rugby League Commission retains discretion over where week-one finals are played. The stated aim is to prevent supporters being…

A trespasser was reported at Kamala Harris’s home in Malibu, California, on Friday night, prompting a response from Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies. Deputies were called at about 10.30pm after the former vice-president’s private security team reported a suspicious person, the sheriff’s department said. Officers found the individual and told them to leave. The person departed voluntarily and no incident was reported, authorities said. Eduardo Negrón, a spokesperson for Ms Harris, said the individual had entered the property but was stopped before reaching the house. Ms Harris and her husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, were not at home at the…