Author: DispatchTimes News Desk

White House press secretary Katie Zacharia has acknowledged that she never passed a US bar examination, despite describing herself as a lawyer and being referred to as an attorney by President Donald Trump. Zacharia said she sat California’s bar exam in 2011 but failed, explaining that she was preparing to marry and move to China for her husband’s work at the time. She said she did not attach much importance to the result because she did not need to pass the exam for the work she carried out in China. She graduated from Pepperdine University’s law school before moving to…

The search for two missing fishermen off the Isle of Lewis has been stood down, while tributes have been paid to their crewmate whose body was recovered near Port of Ness. Norman Murray, 40, known as Tam, and Murdo Morrison, 23, were on board the fishing vessel FV Kilda when it failed to return to port on Tuesday evening. The boat and the two men have not been found. HM Coastguard said on Thursday night that its response had ended pending any new information, following an extensive search operation. Douglas Craigie, 49, the skipper, was found in the early hours…

A family of barn owls nesting in Manhattan has drawn nightly crowds to the Upper West Side, after the birds took up residence in a water tower on a building near Central Park. The sighting is believed to be the first documented instance of barn owls nesting in Manhattan in modern history, according to Andrew Farnsworth, a migration ecologist at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “It was, like, totally shocking,” Mr Farnsworth said. “To the best of our knowledge, like the collective birding knowledge, there hasn’t been a nest in, you know, in Manhattan, at least in recorded history.” News…

A former Six Flags Over Georgia ride operator has said the restraint on the Goliath rollercoaster could, in rare circumstances, be forced open, although it would require a tremendous amount of force. Brycen Whatley, who previously worked at the Georgia theme park and is a rollercoaster enthusiast, discussed how Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem may have been ejected from the ride before falling to his death. Whatley said Goliath is fitted with pin-and-gear arm restraints and cannot begin moving until they have been pulled down three notches, locking the rider into position. He also raised the possibility of “pin-slipping”, in which…

Crystal Palace suffered a 3-2 defeat to Lyon in the Europa League as Pierre Sage lost on his return to the club that dismissed him in January 2025. Lyon established control early, with Corentin Tolisso opening the scoring after Palace failed to clear a corner. Ernest Nuamah then doubled the advantage in first-half stoppage time, leaving the visitors without a shot on target before the interval. Palace responded more positively after the break and reduced the deficit in the 50th minute. Yeremy Pino produced a fine finish at the near post after Adam Wharton played the ball into the area.…

Two people have been injured after a car crashed into a pizzeria in Howard Beach, Queens, New York. Emergency crews were called to the restaurant at 156-71 Cross Bay Boulevard, between 156th and 157th Avenues, shortly before 1.15pm on Thursday. The injured pair were taken to Brookdale Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, officials said. It was not immediately clear whether they had been inside the pizzeria or travelling in the vehicle. The NYPD Emergency Service Unit was at the scene working to remove the car from the building. The circumstances of the crash remain under investigation.

Donald Trump has scrapped plans to livestream the first US military execution in 60 years. The decision means the execution will not be broadcast online, although no further details were provided.

Financial security among US workers has fallen to its lowest level in seven years, with many employees cutting back on medical care to manage rising costs, research suggests. A survey of 6,000 employees by benefits company Willis Towers Watson (WTW) found that the proportion who felt financially secure dropped from 46% to 36% in 2026. The decline came despite respondents reporting improvements in their physical health and social relationships. Their sense of wellbeing had deteriorated when it came to financial matters, WTW said. Healthcare costs create barriers About one in three employees across every age group said they had delayed…

Afghan families facing drought and extreme poverty are selling their daughters into marriage to raise money, with some girls promised to men many decades older than them. In Badghis province, where most people depend on rain-fed farming and livestock, repeated water shortages and failed harvests have left families struggling to feed themselves, repay debts and pay for medical care. Gul Bobo, from the rural village of Tayz Nāwah, said she and her husband had arranged marriages for their daughters, aged two and five, because worsening drought had devastated his work as a farmer. Her husband’s income is used to support…

US historic preservation law is facing a twin challenge from proposed regulatory and congressional changes, campaigners have warned on the 60th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act. The legislation, signed by President Lyndon B Johnson on 15 October 1966, established a framework for identifying and protecting historic places, from individual buildings and archaeological sites to entire districts. At the centre of the dispute is Section 106, which requires federal agencies to consult states, tribes and other interested parties before projects that could damage historic resources are allowed to proceed. Preservation groups say a federal council dominated by President Donald…