World briefing
North America
Officials started evacuations of some buildings and cars after a flood barrier break along the Mississippi River sent floodwaters rushing into downtown Davenport, Iowa. The National Weather Service sent an alert of a flash flood emergency, urging people downtown to immediately seek higher ground. Television station KWQC reports public works officials said a temporary barrier had broken and that many people sought shelter on the rooftops. The floodwaters have overtaken dozens of vehicles and the first floors of several buildings, and rescue crews could be seen launching boats into the floodwaters to retrieve people stranded by the sudden surge.
The man accused of attacking a Southern California synagogue fired only eight to 10 of the roughly 60 bullets he had before his weapon jammed, prosecutors said. John Earnest, 19, pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder in the shootingat the Chabad of Poway synagogue. One woman was killed and three people wounded. Earnest was arrested shortly after the attack with 50 unfired bullets, a tactical vest and helmet, prosecutors said. The judge scheduled a status hearing for May 30 and denied bail.
New documents filed in a lawsuit against the US government claim searches of phones and laptops at airports and points of entry are rising and are being conducted for reasons beyond immigration and customs enforcement. There were 33,295 such searches in the 2018 financial year. The government says the warrantless searches are needed to protect America. But papers filed in a suit challenging their constitutionality claim they also are used to enforce tax, environmental and other laws and to advance law enforcement investigations. A motion filed on behalf of 11 people whose devices were searched asks a judge in Massachusetts to rule that the government must get a warrant.
Latin America
Archaeologists in Mexico announced they have found a Spanish anchor off the Gulf coast of Veracruz that dates to around the time of the Spanish conquest. The anchor was found at a site north of the current city of Veracruz, near where Herna´ n Corte´ s intentionally sank 10 of his ships in 1519 to prevent his troops from deserting. Corte´ s landed in Veracruz 500 years ago, in April 1519. By August 1521 he had defeated the Aztec empire. The National Institute of Anthropology and History said the anchor hasn’t been proven to be from Corte´ s’ ships, but the search for evidence continues. Another Spanish expedition came to the area just after Corte´s.
Europe
British forensics experts helping to tackle a Cyprus serial killer case visited a toxic lake where a suitcase was found with a decomposed body inside as criticism mounted of how Cypriot police initially handled the disappearances of several victims. The Cypriot police chief and leading investigators briefed the experts from Scotland Yard on the investigation into the killings of seven foreign women and girls, police spokesman Andreas Angelides said. The toxic lake is where the suspect — a 35-yearold Cyprus army captain — told investigators he dumped three of his victims after putting them inside suitcases. Authorities have had difficulty locating the other two suitcases, despite using a robotic camera, because of very poor visibility in the lake. A high-tech sonar device will be employed in the coming days to provide detailed images of what lies at the bottom. It will also be used at another reservoir.
Imagine that
A space rock left a big crater on the moon during January’s total lunar eclipse. Spanish scientists reported the meteoroid hit the moon at 61,000 km/h, carving out a crater nearly 15m across. It was the first impact flash observed during a lunar eclipse. The scientists — who operate a lunar impact detection system using eight telescopes in Spain — believe the object was a comet fragment up to 60cm across and 45kg. The impact energy was equivalent to 1 1⁄2 tons of TNT.
It’s a bit odd
An Arizona woman is recovering from more than 20 bee stings after heavy winds blew a hive off a tree and it landed on her head. Firefighters in the Phoenix suburb of Tempe say it happened as the woman picked up her child from daycare. She was evaluated and opted to have her husband drive her to a hospital.