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Navy shipyard workers approve a contract deal with Bath Iron Works, ending weeklong strike

By
The Associated Press
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PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Hundreds of striking employees at one of the U.S. Navy’s biggest shipbuilding contractors voted Saturday to approve a deal with Bath Iron Works, ending a weeklong strike.

Members of the Bath Marine Draftsmen’s Association ratified a new four-year collective bargaining agreement that goes into effect immediately, the shipyard said. Approval followed an hourslong union meeting at a local high school.

The Bath Marine Draftsmen’s Association is affiliated with the United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, which is commonly known as the UAW and is one of the country’s largest unions. The BMDA members at Bath Iron Works work as designers, nondestructive test technicians, technical clerks, laboratory technicians and associate engineers, the union said in a statement.

Bath Iron Works is known for the slogan “Bath built is best built.” The strike began several weeks after a morale-boosting appearance in which U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth touted the need to boost defense manufacturing. It also took place during the U.S. war effort in Iran.

Bath Iron Works is a major shipbuilder for the Navy and was awarded a multiyear contract to build several Arleigh Burke-class destroyers in 2023. The Arleigh Burke is a guided missile destroyer that Navy officials have described as the “backbone of the Navy’s surface fleet.” The Navy exercised an option last year to add an additional destroyer to the contract.

Magnitude wins Dubai Gold Cup after $12M race goes ahead despite the war in Iran

By
The Associated Press
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Magnitude beat race favorite Forever Young to win the Dubai Gold Cup on Saturday in the first major outdoors sporting event since the outbreak of the Iran War.

The 4-year-old American horse, ridden by Jose Ortiz and trained by Steven Asmussen, successfully resisted a determined effort from Japan’s Forever Young with Ryusei Sakai on board, to win the almost $7 million first prize.

Meydaan was third, followed by Imperial Emperor, both Irish horses.

There was a total of €12 million in prize money for the 9-horse race.

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports

Senegal parades Africa Cup trophy in Paris as it appeals CAF decision to strip title

By
The Associated Press
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PARIS (AP) — Senegal players paraded the Africa Cup of Nations trophy in front of thousands of fans on Saturday, despite the Confederation of African Football’s decision to strip the country of the title and award it to Morocco.

Ahead of a friendly match against Peru at Stade de France, Senegal players led by captain Kalidou Koulibaly took to the pitch with the trophy as part of pre-game celebrations.

The Senegalese Football Association had announced it would present the Africa Cup trophy to its fans before the game. Paris has a significant Senegalese community.

Earlier this week in the French capital, Senegalese FA president Abdoulaye Fall said Senegal was the victim of “ the most grossly unfair administrative robbery” in the history of soccer and pledged that the country would defend its players’ “honor” at the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Senegal is challenging CAF’s surprise ruling last week to strip the team of the title won in a chaotic final in January and give it to host nation Morocco.

Senegal’s legal team said the country still considers itself the champion of Africa. The CAF ’s appeals board ruled that Senegal is “declared to have forfeited the final” and its 1-0 win in extra time became a 3-0 default win for Morocco. The rationale was that Senegal players led by their coach had left the field in protest when Morocco was awarded a penalty, leading to a 15-minute stoppage.

Senegal’s appeal to be reinstated as champion was registered this week by CAS, which set no timetable for a likely long process toward a verdict. The appeal was promised by the Senegalese government, which also called for an international investigation “into suspected corruption” within CAF.

An appeal to CAS can typically take months to schedule a hearing then weeks or months more to announce a verdict. Senegal’s lawyers, however, will ask CAS to open an expedited procedure and hope the Moroccan federation and the CAF agree so that the case can be dealt with within two months.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Geno Auriemma takes aim at the NCAA over the women’s double-regional format in March Madness

By
The Associated Press
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FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — UConn coach Geno Auriemma is ripping the double-regional format being used in the women’s NCAA Tournament, saying it doesn’t make sense for the teams still playing or in efforts to grow the game.

Auriemma brought up attendance, bad shooting percentages and teams having to come to the arena early and late on the same day when taking aim at the format that is in place for the fourth year, and set to continue for at least five more.

“Well, I think the first question you’d have to ask is why did they go from four to two. What was the rationale?” the 12-time national champion coach said Saturday. “If they can explain it legitimately and then prove that it works, then great. So what was the reason?”

NCAA officials didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The defending national champion Huskies (37-0), the overall No. 1 seed, play Notre Dame (25-10) in the Fort Worth Regional 1 final Sunday.

The Huskies held their required media availability Saturday morning, after the Fighting Irish had already completed their session and before two Sweet 16 games in the Fort Worth Regional 3 were played at Dickies Arena. UConn and Notre Dame both had scheduled practice times there later in the evening.

“So we had to get our kids up, come over here. You already knew who we were playing last night, but we can’t get on the court, and neither can the other teams,” Auriemma said. “Does anybody who makes these decisions ever ask the coaches and the players, hey, does this work?”

Auriemma, the winningest men’s or women’s NCAA basketball coach with 1,287 victories, didn’t wait for a question to share his thoughts on the format, opening his session by listing the following numbers: 4 for 20, 4 for 22, 1 for 17, 5 for 17, 4 for 16, 7 for 26.

“That’s the 3-point shooting yesterday across the country. How many arenas are we going to sell out with that (expletive)?” he said. “Now, maybe it was just a bad day shooting by everybody. These are all teams that average probably 30, over 30, for the season. Know what time our shootaround was yesterday? Six in the morning, 6:20, I think, for half an hour.”

He also mentioned the total combined announced attendance of 18,821 at the two venues Friday, in Fort Worth and Sacramento, California.

Auriemma said there is a lack of input from coaches, and said nothing changes even though the NCAA sends representatives to schools every year after the tournament.

“Hopefully I’m speaking for the other coaches. Some coaches might think I’m full of it. And this is not about UConn. I hope everybody understands that,” he said. “This is not about us, because you know, we’ve managed to go to the Final Four and win national championships no matter where they’re played, when they’re played, what time they’re played, whatever.

“I think there is a level of frustration right now among the coaches that’s higher than any time I’ve ever seen it.”

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Nestlé says 413,793 KitKat candy bars stolen en route from Italy to Poland

By
The Associated Press
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GENEVA (AP) — Swiss food giant Nestlé says about 12 tons, or 413,793 candy bars, of its KitKat chocolate brand were stolen after leaving its production site in Italy earlier this week for Poland.

The company, based in Vevey, Switzerland, said in a statement Friday that “the vehicle and its load are still nowhere to be found.”

The shipment of the crunchy bars, made of waffles covered with chocolate, disappeared last week while en route between production and distribution locations. The chocolate bars were to be distributed throughout Europe.

The missing candy bars could enter unofficial sales channels across European markets, the company said, but if this does happen, all products can be traced using the unique batch code assigned to individual bars.

A spokesperson for KitKat said that as a result, consumers, retailers and wholesalers would be able to identify if a product is part of the stolen shipment by scanning the on-pack batch numbers. If a match is found, the scanner will be given clear instructions on how to alert the company, which will then share the evidence appropriately.

“Whilst we appreciate the criminals’ exceptional taste, the fact remains that cargo theft is an escalating issue for businesses of all sizes,” KitKat said in a statement.

“With more sophisticated schemes being deployed on a regular basis, we have chosen to go public with our own experience in the hope that it raises awareness of an increasingly common criminal trend,” the statement added.

Iranian attack on Saudi base causes American casualties. More US forces arrive in the Middle East

By
The Associated Press
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans wounded in the Iran war has grown beyond 300, with more than two dozen troops injured this week from attacks on a Saudi air base.

Iran fired six ballistic missiles and 29 drones at Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan air base in an attack Friday that injured at least 15 troops, including five seriously, according to two people briefed on the matter.. U.S. officials initially reported that at least 10 U.S. troops were injured, including two who were seriously wounded.

More American forces are reaching the Middle East, with a Navy ship carrying about 2,500 Marines having now arrived in the region, U.S. Central Command announced Saturday. The USS Tripoli, an amphibious assault ship, as well as the elements from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit that are aboard, are based in Japan. They were conducting exercises in the area around Taiwan when the order came to deploy to the Middle East almost two weeks ago.

Central Command said that in addition to the Marines, the Tripoli also brings transport and strike fighter aircraft, as well as amphibious assault assets to the region. The USS Boxer and two other ships, along with another Marine Expeditionary Unit, have also been ordered to the region from San Diego.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday the United States can meet its objectives “without any ground troops.” But he also said Trump “has to be prepared for multiple contingencies” and that American forces are available “to give the president maximum optionality and maximum, opportunity to adjust to contingencies should they emerge.”

The Saudi base had come under come attack twice earlier in week, including an incident that injured 14 U.S. troops, according to the people, who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The base, which is about 96 kilometers (60 miles) from the Saudi capital of Riyadh, is run by the Royal Saudi Air Force, but also used by U.S. troops. The installation has been targeted almost since the beginning of the war, which on Saturday reached the one-month mark.

Army Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, was wounded during a March 1 attack on the base and died days later. He is one of the 13 service members who have been killed in the war.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Saturday regarding the American casualties at the Saudi base.

Central Command said Friday that more than 300 service members have been wounded in the war. Most have returned to duty, while 30 remained out of action and 10 were considered seriously wounded.

Iran has responded to attacks by the United States and Israel with strikes against Israel and neighboring Gulf Arab states. The war has upended global air travel, disrupted oil exports and caused fuel prices to soar. Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway, has exacerbated the economic fallout.

With the economic repercussions extending far beyond the Middle East, President Donald Trump is under growing pressure to end Iran’s chokehold on the strait. The latest attacks on the Saudi air base happened after Trump claimed talks on ending the war were going “very well.”

Trump said he had given Tehran until April 6 to reopen the strait. Iran says it has not engaged in any negotiations.

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Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Konstantin Toropin in Washington contributed to this report.

Ilia Malinin bounces back from Olympic nightmare with 3rd straight world figure skating title

By
The Associated Press
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PRAGUE (AP) — Ilia Malinin is back on the top step of the podium.

Six weeks after a disastrous skate knocked the Olympic gold-medal favorite off the podium, the “quad god” reeled off one huge jump after another, and a backflip for good measure, to retain his world championship title for the third year running.

Malinin shouted and punched the air with relief after finishing a skate that showed he had achieved his desire to “move on” from the Olympics after days tormented by his mistakes.

He praised the crowd’s support, saying: “It was really challenging, really hard but with you guys I was able to make it through.” His aim, he added, had simply been to get through the free skate “in one piece.”

Skating last after leading the short program, just as he did in Milan, Malinin landed five high-scoring quadruple jumps but not his pioneering quad axel, a jump he didn’t attempt at the Olympics.

Malinin scored 218.11 in the free skate for a total 329.40, far ahead of silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama of Japan on 306.67. Another Japanese skater, Shun Sato, was third on 288.54.

Kagiyama beat his personal-best free skate score but still had to make do with a fourth career world championship silver in a career which includes four Olympic silvers and five total worlds medals, but no gold from either event. He still embraced Malinin after his skate and they jumped together in celebration.

In a showcase of top-level skating, there was no podium spot for France’s Adam Siao Him Fa, who had been in second after the short program but dropped to fifth overall after a fall. Estonia’s Aleksandr Selevko also fell dropped from third to sixth.

Malinin had no rematch with Mikhail Shaidorov, the skater from Kazakhstan who won the Olympic gold, because he opted against competing again this season.

That’s relatively common in figure skating for gold medal winners who face a rush of media and commercial opportunities after a grueling four-year Olympic buildup.

Malinin becomes the first skater to win three consecutive men’s world titles since fellow American Nathan Chen, who achieved the feat in 2018, 2019 and 2021 after the 2020 event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The last competition of the championships is the free dance portion of the ice dance event later Saturday. France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron are in the lead after Friday’s rhythm dance.

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

French police thwart a suspected bombing outside a Bank of America building in Paris

By
The Associated Press
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PARIS (AP) — French police have thwarted a suspected bomb attack outside a Bank of America building in Paris, authorities said Saturday. One suspect was detained and another escaped.

The national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office, or PNAT, told The Associated Press that it has opened an investigation into alleged terrorism-related offenses.

The suspected offenses include attempted damage by fire or by a dangerous means, the manufacture of an incendiary or explosive device, the possession and transport of such devices with the intent to prepare dangerous damage, and involvement in a terrorist criminal association.

A person was placed in police custody.

“Well done to the rapid intervention of a Paris police prefecture unit, which made it possible to thwart a violent act of a terrorist nature overnight in Paris,” Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said.

“Vigilance remains at a very high level,” Nuñez said. “I commend all security and intelligence forces, fully mobilized under my authority in the current international context.”

RTL radio, citing police sources, reported that the incident took place early Saturday when police officers spotted two suspects carrying a shopping bag near the premises of the Bank of America in the 8th arrondissement of the French capital.

One of the suspects, holding a lighter, was attempting to ignite a device, RTL said, while the second suspect managed to escape. The Paris police prefecture declined to comment.

Since the Iran war broke out, French authorities have increased personal protection of some figures from the Iranian opposition and stepped up security around sites that could be a target, including sites linked to U.S. interests and to the Jewish community, Nuñez said earlier this week.

Judge rules ICE unlawfully detained immigrant arrested in Seymour

By
Andy East
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TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — A Trump-appointed judge has ruled that Immigration and Customs Enforcement unlawfully detained an immigrant arrested in Jackson County without a bond hearing.

Sudhanshu Sharma, who has been held at the Clay County Jail since November, had filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus, arguing that his continued detention was unconstitutional and violated federal law, according to records in U.S. District Court in Terre Haute.

The Clay County Jail in Brazil, Ind., operates as an ICE detention center, housing people awaiting immigration proceedings.

A petition for a writ of habeas corpus is a legal process that allows a court to review whether a person is being lawfully detained. Sharma’s petition names U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi; former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem; Clay County Sheriff Brison Swearingen; Samual Olson, the director of ICE’s Chicago field office; among others, as respondents.

U.S. District Judge James Patrick Hanlon recently ruled that Sharma’s detention falls under a section of immigration law that requires ICE to give him the chance to appear before an immigration judge to decide whether he should be released on bond. Hanlon ordered the federal government to allow Sharma a bond hearing or release him.

It is currently unclear whether Sharma was given a bond hearing or released from ICE custody. While the federal government was required to filed documentation with the court certifying its compliance, those records are not public.

“The Court finds that Mr. Sharma’s detention … is unlawful because he has not been afforded a bond hearing,” Hanlon states in the order. “…By refusing to provide a bond hearing, the respondents are detaining Mr. Sharma in violation of the laws of the United States, and he therefore is entitled to habeas corpus relief.”

Hanlon was nominated by President Donald Trump in April 2018 to serve as a U.S. district judge in the Southern District of Indiana.

The decision comes as the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana sees a historic surge in habeas corpus petitions filed by immigrant detainees.

As of Monday, there had been at least 148 such cases filed in the Southern District of Indiana so far this year, according to federal court records.

That is up from 76 cases filed during all of last year and a combined total of four cases filed during the 10-year period from 2015 to 2024, according to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

Since Feb. 1, detainees have prevailed in 13 of the 14 cases that advanced far enough to be decided on their merits in the Southern District of Indiana.

At least one other immigrant arrested in Jackson County, and two more in Johnson County, have also won recent habeas cases challenging their ICE detention.

Sharma, for his part, entered the United States illegally in 2023, according to federal court records.

Border patrol agents apprehended him shortly after he crossed the border into Arizona. Instead of detaining him, the agents ordered him to appear for removal proceedings and released him on his own recognizance.

This past October, Seymour police arrested Sharma during a traffic stop, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Jackson Circuit Court. The officer had allegedly pulled over Sharma because his license plate was expired.

“I recognized Sharma from a case I worked … where he was the suspect in a failed attempt to sell illegal THC cartridges to a vape store,” the officer states in the affidavit. “…Upon reapproaching the vehicle, I asked Sharma if he would be willing to give consent for me, to search the vehicle to which Sharma agreed.”

While searching the vehicle, the officer allegedly “observed a cardboard box in the back seat that was taped shut.” The box allegedly contained vape cartridges, vapes and gummies containing tetrahydrocannabinol.

Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.

The probable cause affidavit states that Sharma was employed in a whole-sale business related to the sale vapes. Sharma allegedly told the officer that he had been in Clarksville that day and was on his way to a couple vape shops in Seymour when he was pulled over.

On Nov. 4, Jackson County Jail officials hand Sharma over to ICE to comply with a detainer, according to federal court records.

Nine days later, Jackson County prosecutors charged Sharma with a felony count of dealing in marijuana and a misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession, according to court records.

A pretrial conference in the criminal case is currently scheduled for April 10.

Missing sailboats carrying aid land in Cuba after being located by Mexican navy

By
The Associated Press
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HAVANA (AP) — Two sailboats that went missing carrying humanitarian aid from southern Mexico to Cuba landed in Havana on Saturday afternoon hours after Mexico’s navy said it had located the boats days after they went incommunicado because of bad weather.

The vessels carrying at least eight people departed from Isla Mujeres in southern Mexico on March 20 and then lost contact, fueling concern in Mexico, Cuba and beyond.

In a post on X on Saturday morning, the navy said an aircraft spotted the boats 80 nautical miles (148 kilometers) northwest of Havana, Cuba. Upon arriving to the island, Adnaan Stumo, the coordinator of the sailing convoy, said bad weather was responsible for the delay because the boats had to take a longer route and the sailors were “never in any serious danger.”

He thanked Mexico’s navy, which escorted one of the boats into Havana Bay, for its support and making sure they were OK, and said they were “delighted” to start delivering aid to Cubans on the island.

““We arrive with a simple but powerful message: solidarity with the Cuban people doesn’t stop at borders. It crosses oceans,” Stumo, a U.S. citizen, said. “Over the past week, our sailboats encountered difficult conditions at sea, during which we lost contact with convoy coordinators and maritime authorities alike.”

The organization Nuestra América Convoy said Friday that based on the speed of the vessels reported to the Cuban maritime authorities, the window of arrival for the boats in Havana should be between Friday and Saturday and that the boats were led by experienced sailors.

James Schneider, communications director for Progressive International who helped coordinate the Nuestra America convoy to Cuba, thanked Mexican and Cuban authorities for their help on Saturday and said he was “relieved” to hear they were safe.

“The crews are safe, and the vessels are continuing their journey to Havana,” he said Saturday morning. “The convoy remains on track to complete its mission — delivering urgently needed humanitarian aid to the Cuban people.”

The boat’s arrival comes as an increasing number of countries and aid organizations have sent shipments of aid to Cuba while a U.S. fuel blockade has caused crippling blackouts and pushed the Caribbean nation to the brink of collapse. President Donald Trump in a speech Friday said “Cuba is next” after speaking about military actions in Venezuela and Iran.

The fuel blockade has prompted United Nations leaders to warn of a potential “humanitarian crisis” in the island’s future amid mounting concerns by human rights and religious leaders as hospitals, schools and many residents go without power for long stretches.

The same day the boat was located, a delegation of religious leaders also arrived in Cuba. They visited hospitals and a nursing home, and met with other religious leaders on the island.

“Immense suffering is being caused to the people,” said the Rev. Philip Vinod Peacock, general secretary of the World Communion of Reformed Churches.

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