NATION AND WORLD BRIEFS
After shooting, families sue Dollar General store operators
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Family members of three Black people fatally shot at a Dollar General store in north Florida by a racist gunman have sued the store’s landlord, operator and security contractor for negligence, claiming lax security led to their loved ones’ deaths.
The 21-year-old gunman had attempted to enter another store and the campus of a historically Black college, but he was stopped by the presence of security guards at both places. The probes by Ryan Palmeter took place in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Jacksonville last August, ending in the fatal assault at the Dollar General.
Better security measures should have been in place by the store operator and landlord before the shooting last August since the area around the store had seen a rash of shootings, assaults, burglaries, robberies and drug dealing, the lawsuit said.
T. GOSSMAN, M. GASCOYNE, C. GREY/ BRITISH ANTARCTIC SURVEY VIA AP
Shark kills Boston woman paddleboarding in Bahamas
A woman visiting the Bahamas from Boston was killed by a shark while she was paddleboarding off the coast of a resort on Monday, authorities said.
The 44-year-old woman, whose name has not been released, was less than a mile from the shoreline of a Sandals resort when she was attacked, said Royal Bahamas Police Sgt. Desiree Ferguson.
A lifeguard saw what happened, got in a rescue boat and brought the woman, along with a male relative who was uninjured, back to the shore of New Providence, an island in the Bahamas.
Medical technicians determined that the woman died at the scene, according to a news release from the Royal Bahamas Police Force. Authorities have not said what kind of shark attacked the woman.
Research ship crosses paths with world’s largest iceberg
LONDON – Britain’s polar research ship has crossed paths with the largest iceberg in the world – a “lucky” encounter that enabled scientists to collect seawater samples around the colossal berg as it drifts out of Antarctic waters, the British Antarctic Survey said Monday.
The RRS Sir David Attenborough, which is on its way to Antarctica for its first scientific mission, passed the mega iceberg known as the A23a on Friday near the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.
The iceberg – equivalent to three times the size of New York City and more than twice the size of Greater London – had been grounded for more than three decades in the Weddell Sea after it split from the Antarctic’s Filchner Ice Shelf in 1986. It began drifting in recent months, and has now moved into the Southern Ocean.
French lawmakers approve bill to ban disposable e-cigarettes
PARIS – France’s National Assembly unanimously approved a bill to ban single-use, disposable electronic cigarettes, in an attempt to protect young people drawn to their flavors and mitigate the environmental impacts of the disposable products known as “puffs.”
Lawmakers adopted the bill in a late-night vote on Monday by 104 in favor, zero against.
Disposable e-cigarettes are small, battery-powered devices that are especially popular among teenagers for their sweet flavors. While they do not contain tobacco, many include nicotine, a dangerous chemical known for its addictive properties. Their small, non-rechargeable lithium batteries often end up in landfills.