US News Roundup: Las Vegas honors victims of mass shooting; Amazon to raise minimum wage and more


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 02-10-2018 20:09 IST | Created: 02-10-2018 18:28 IST
US News Roundup: Las Vegas honors victims of mass shooting; Amazon to raise minimum wage and more
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Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

One year later, Las Vegas honours 58 killed in a mass shooting

As white doves flew overhead - each tagged with a name of one of the 58 people killed a year ago on Monday when a sniper opened fire in Las Vegas - loved ones gathered at sunrise to remember victims of the largest mass shooting in modern American history. Governor Brian Sandoval commended his state for its struggle to heal and recover at the commemoration ceremony held at an outdoor amphitheatre.

Amazon to raise the minimum wage to $15 for U.S. employees

Amazon.com Inc said on Tuesday it would raise its minimum wage to $15 per hour for its U.S. employees from next month as it faces criticism for pay disparity from lawmakers and labour unions. The company also said it would lobby in Washington for an increase in the federal minimum wage and urge other competitors to raise wages - a call that comes in the backdrop of the "Fight for Fifteen" movement, a union-led push for a $15 minimum wage.

Trump administration rejects states' argument on net neutrality

Federal Communications Commission chairman Ajit Pai rejected arguments Monday that states should be able to impose their own net neutrality protections after the Trump administration in December withdrew them. The Trump administration late on Sunday filed suit seeking a preliminary injunction to block California's state net neutrality law from taking effect in January. The court filing came soon after Governor Jerry Brown signed the legislation.

U.S. Supreme Court declines billionaire appeal in California beach access suit

The U.S. Supreme Court handed a victory to proponents of open access to California's coastline on Monday, declining the appeal of a billionaire venture capitalist seeking to keep a popular beach locked behind a gate as his exclusive property. The high court's denial leaves intact a state appellate decision requiring Sun Microsystems co-founder Vinod Khosla to apply for a California Coastal Commission permit to restrict public entry to Martins Beach in San Mateo County, south of San Francisco.

FBI talks with school friend of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh

Days after being ordered to look into sexual misconduct allegations against U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, the FBI has talked with his high school friend Mark Judge, but the interview is not complete, his attorney said on Monday. University professor Christine Blasey Ford has said Judge was a witness when Kavanaugh allegedly sexually assaulted her at a party in 1982 when they were high school students in Maryland.

Whereabouts of more than 1,200 Missouri sex offenders unknown: auditor

Local authorities in Missouri do not know the locations of more than 1,200 sex offenders, including nearly 800 who would be classified as the most dangerous, according to a report by the state auditor released on Monday. Missouri law requires those convicted or found guilty of sexual offences to register their name, address and other information with local law enforcement, the auditor's office said. The information is made public through a database and website maintained by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Emboldened protesters step up effort to block Kavanaugh confirmation

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell struggled to get through a terminal at a Washington airport on Monday as protesters confronted him, asking if he believed sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. "How many stories of sexual violence do you need to hear in order to believe women?" one woman asked McConnell, a Republican, as he walked toward an escalator at Reagan National Airport, his aides trying to clear his path, according to a video circulated on social media.

Nevada woman sues soccer star Ronaldo for alleged sexual assault

A Nevada woman has sued Cristiano Ronaldo and is participating in a police investigation of the global soccer star for an alleged rape at a Las Vegas hotel in 2009, according to a complaint filed by her lawyer. Lawyers for Ronaldo, one of the world's best-known athletes, on Friday threatened to sue a German magazine that published the accusation.

Trump says close to finalizing effective ban on gun bump stocks

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said his administration was just a few weeks away from finalizing a regulation that would ban bump stocks, devices that allow semi-automatic weapons to fire like a machine gun. "We're knocking out bump stocks," he said at a White House news conference. "We're in the final two or three weeks, and I'll be able to write out bump stocks."

Miner, aged 18, killed in Alaska grizzly attack

An 18-year-old man was killed by a grizzly bear while working at a silver mine in Alaska on Monday, state troopers said, marking the second fatal mauling in the largest U.S. state this year. The victim, identified as Anthony David Montoya of Hollis, Oklahoma, had been working at a drill site on the edge of the Hecla Greens Creek Mine property in southeastern Alaska when he was attacked, the Alaska State Troopers said.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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