Nation & World Glance

Wanna go for a walk? Westminster dog show leaves NYC for ‘21

NEW YORK — The Westminster dog show is set to take a long walk.

The nation’s top pooch pageant will be held outdoors at an estate about 25 miles north of Manhattan on June 12-13 because of the pandemic, the Westminster Kennel Club said Wednesday.

The shift to the Lyndhurst site along the Hudson River in Tarrytown, New York, will mark the first time in more than 100 years that best in show at Westminster hasn’t been awarded at Madison Square Garden. In 1920, the top prize was presented at Grand Central Palace in New York.

Four different versions of the Garden have hosted

Westminster since 1880 -the show began three years earlier. The show is typically held in February, around Valentine’s Day.

“The wide-open outdoor space at this extraordinary venue allows us to hold a dog show safely while following current social distancing guidelines and public health regulations,” WKC President Charlton Reynders III said in a statement.

Breed and group judging will be held both days, and best in show will be chosen June 13 and televised by Fox. The 67-acre Lyndhurst site has hosted dog shows over the years.

“The Lyndhurst estate is absolutely gorgeous and even with the show moving outside, I think it keeps with the prestige of being Westminster, if not even adds to it,” said Clint Livingston, who has handled dogs at Westminster every year since 1983.

“Nothing could replace the electricity in the air of showing dogs at MSG,” he said. “I have no doubt the committee will do all it takes to make the whole event incredible. Making the best of a COVID-19 situation, in my opinion I think it will be even better.”

There will be 207 breeds eligible at the next Westminster, including three newcomers: the Belgian Laekenois, the dogo Argentino and the barbet.

Nigerian forces killed 12 peaceful protesters, Amnesty says

LAGOS, Nigeria — Amnesty International said in a report Wednesday that Nigeria’s security forces fired upon two large gatherings of peaceful protesters Tuesday night, killing 12 people calling for an end to police brutality.

At least 56 people have died during two weeks of widespread demonstrations against police violence, including 38 on Tuesday, the group said. The Nigerian government did not immediately comment about Amnesty International’s allegations.

The #EndSARS protests began amid calls for Nigeria’s government to close the police Special Anti-Robbery Squad, known as SARS, but has become a much wider demand for better governance in Nigeria.

Despite the growing violence, the Nigerian protesters defied a curfew and faced off with security forces Wednesday as gunfire rang out and fires burned in Lagos, a day after shots were fired into a crowd of demonstrators singing the country’s national anthem.

Remains found in search for 1921 Tulsa race massacre victims

OKLAHOMA CITY — At least 10 bodies were found Wednesday in an unmarked mass grave at a Tulsa cemetery where investigators are searching for the remains of victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, Oklahoma’s state archaeologist said.

“What we were finding was an indication that we were inside a large area ... a large hole that had been excavated and into which several individuals had been placed and buried in that location. This constitutes a mass grave,” state archaeologist Kary Stackelbeck said.

Investigators found 10 wooden coffins containing what was initially presumed to be one person in each, Stackelbeck said. She said further examination of the coffins and remains, which have not been removed, was needed.

“Those skeletal remains are not in great condition,” Stackelbeck said. “They’re not the worst condition we have seen ... but they’re not the best.”

Combined with one set of remains found nearby on Tuesday, there have now been at least 11 bodies discovered, according to Stackelbeck.