Distracted engineer blamed in deadly Amtrak wreck
Distracted engineer blamed in deadly Amtrak wreck
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Amtrak engineer whose speeding train ran off the rails in Philadelphia last year was apparently distracted by word that a train nearby had been hit by a rock, federal investigators concluded Tuesday, pinning most of the blame on him for the wreck that killed eight people.
“He went, in a matter of seconds, from distraction to disaster,” National Transportation Safety Board member Robert Sumwalt said.
At the same time, the NTSB said a contributing factor was the railroad industry’s decades-long failure to fully install positive train control, GPS-based technology that can automatically slow trains that are going over the speed limit.
Had positive train control been in use along that stretch of track, “we would not be here today,” said Ted Turpin, an NTSB investigator.
Engineer Brandon Bostian heard about the rock-throwing on the radio and was apparently so preoccupied by it that he lost track of where he was and accelerated full-throttle to 106 mph as he went into a sharp curve with a 50 mph speed limit, investigators said at an NTSB hearing to pinpoint the cause of the May 12, 2015, derailment. About 200 people aboard the Washington-to-New York train that night were injured.
Russia builds military camp near ancient site in Palmyra
BEIRUT (AP) — Russia has built a military encampment inside a zone that holds the UNESCO world heritage site in the ancient Syrian town of Palmyra, where Islamic State militants were driven out recently by pro-government forces.
The Russian military described the camp Tuesday as “temporary,” saying its few housing units were being used by explosives experts who are removing mines left behind by the militants, and that the Syrian government had given approval to build the camp.
The head of Syria’s Antiquities and Museums department, who noted the town’s priceless antiquities are safer thanks to the Russian presence, nonetheless said he would not have granted Russia permission to build the camp if he had been asked.
A UNESCO official said it was unclear whether the encampment was in a buffer zone to the archaeological site, but said it does not pose a threat to the historic area.
The American School of Oriental Research’s Cultural Heritage Initiative posted photos from the satellite imagery and analytics company DigitalGlobe that show the construction on the edge of the ancient site that was damaged by the Islamic State group, which held Palmyra for 10 months.
Wave of bombings in Baghdad kill 69
BAGHDAD (AP) — A wave of bombings struck outdoor markets and a restaurant in Shiite-dominated neighborhoods of Baghdad on Tuesday, killing at least 69 people, officials said — the latest in a string of attacks in and around the Iraqi capital that have left more than 200 dead in the past week.
The four separate bombings were a further challenge to the beleaguered government of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is struggling to prove that his forces can maintain security in Baghdad and elsewhere.
One of the bombings Tuesday struck an outdoor market in the heavily Shiite district of Sadr City, a frequent bombing target. In the wake of the blast, influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose support runs deep in the district named after his father, issued a statement to his followers, saying the attacks “are the clearest evidence that your government has become unable to protect and provide you with security.”
The Islamic State group later claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted to a militant website commonly used by the extremists.
Fighters with al-Sadr’s militia, Saraya Salam, deployed to the streets of Sadr City following the bombing, another indication of a lack of confidence in Iraq’s official security forces.
Mexican president proposes legalizing gay marriage
MEXICO CITY (AP) — President Enrique Pena Nieto proposed Tuesday to legalize same-sex marriage in Mexico.
If it is approved, Mexico would become the fifth country in Latin America to make same-sex marriage legal. The announcement was hailed by LGBT activists and criticized by church officials in Mexico, which is home to the second-largest Roman Catholic population on the planet.
Speaking at an event on the International Day Against Homophobia, Pena Nieto said he signed initiatives that would seek to amend the constitution and the national civil code.
Pena Nieto said he wants to change Article 4 of the constitution to clearly reflect the Supreme Court opinion “to recognize as a human right that people can enter into marriage without any kind of discrimination.”
“That is, for marriages to be carried out without discrimination on the basis of ethnicity or nationality, of disabilities, of social or health conditions, of religion, of gender or sexual preference,” he added.
Adelson implores Republican Jewish leaders to support Trump
WASHINGTON (AP) — Billionaire casino executive Sheldon Adelson is already at work on behalf of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
“I’m asking for your support” for Trump, Adelson wrote in an email Monday to more than 50 Republican Jewish leaders. Adelson told them he had met with Trump recently and is “specifically convinced he will be a tremendous president when it comes to the safety and security of Israel.”
Trump has work to do in winning over the Republican Jewish Coalition, which includes many top party fundraisers — and Adelson’s note may help smooth the way. He’s a major funder of the group and an influential part of its board of directors.
Most RJC members backed other Republican candidates over Trump in the primary contest, and some have been put off by Trump’s divisive comments and ideas, such as temporarily banning all Muslims from entering the country.
“Like many of you, I do not agree with him on every issue,” Adelson wrote in the email, obtained by The Associated Press. “However, I will not sit idly by and let Hillary Clinton become the next president. The consequences to our country, and Israel, are far too great to take that risk.”