Balloons, surfing Santas and the wackiest parade ever for your weekend near L.A.
Hot air balloons, surfing Santas and a wacky parade can be part of your weekend. Cathedral City Colorful balloons paint the desert sky from sunrise to sunset at the Cathedral City Hot Air Balloon Festival at the Cathedral City Heritage Commons Amphitheater. Watch the balloons glow at an outdoor concert on Nov. 22, a pancake…
Are you tough enough to take the polar bear plunge? If so, here's where
It’s California, so you don’t usually start your new year freezing, except if you are a fan of the polar bear plunge. Many of the swims are on New Year’s Day and raise money for charity, but all of them are guaranteed to take your breath away. Here are several places to take the plunge.…
Airlines order 50 Boeing 737 Max planes, a boost for the grounded jet
Boeing Co. secured orders for 50 737 Max narrow-body planes, padding its tally at the Dubai Airshow while building momentum for the grounded aircraft ahead of its potential return to the skies in coming weeks. Kazakhstan’s Air Astana signed a letter of intent for 30 jets, Boeing announced Tuesday, while an undisclosed customer bought 20,…
Google's do-good arm tries to make up for everything else
PARIS — Google’s head of philanthropy says the company is having “a lot of conversations” internally amid worries about the tech giant’s bottomless appetite for consumer data and how it uses its algorithms. Vice President Jacqueline Fuller wouldn’t comment on specific data privacy controversies dogging Google lately, but says she shares other concerns many have about…
Column: The Gannett/GateHouse merger sends a dismal signal about the future of local news
The merger of the big newspaper chains Gannett and GateHouse Media, which became final Tuesday, will create a “stronger” and “more viable” print and digital news enterprise “with deep local roots and national scale.” That’s the optimistic view mouthed by Michael Reed, the CEO of New Media Investment Group, GateHouse’s parent, on Nov. 14 after…
Emirates to get 30 Boeing 787 Dreamliners for $8.8 billion
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The Middle East’s biggest carrier, the Dubai-based Emirates, announced on Wednesday a firm order for 30 Boeing 787 Dreamliners in a deal valued at $8.8 billion. Emirates CEO and Chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said this order replaces an agreement for 150 777x Boeing to 126 of that aircraft,…
White supremacist manifesto reportedly shared at Syracuse University
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A white supremacist manifesto that appeared to be a copy of one linked to a man accused of attacking two mosques in New Zealand was circulated electronically at Syracuse University, campus law enforcement said Tuesday, adding to a string of racist episodes that have shaken the upstate New York campus. Federal investigators…
Son of former German president stabbed to death while giving lecture in Berlin
BERLIN — The son of former German President Richard von Weizsaecker was stabbed to death while he was giving a lecture at a hospital in Berlin where he worked as a head physician, police said Wednesday. A 57-year-old man is in custody after a man jumped up from the audience at the Schlosspark-Klinik and attacked Fritz…
Malta arrests 'person of interest' in 2017 slaying of journalist
VALLETTA, Malta — Malta authorities on Wednesday arrested a prominent Maltese businessman who appears to be a “person of interest” in the assassination of a leading investigative reporter. Yorgen Fenech was on a yacht intercepted on a northward course away from Malta by the Maltese military early Wednesday and forced back to port. In remarks to…
Newsletter: What will Sondland say?
Here are the stories you shouldn’t miss today: TOP STORIES What Will Sondland Say? When Gordon Sondland enters the ornate House hearing room for televised testimony this morning, Republicans and Democrats will be looking for a make-or-break moment in the impeachment inquiry into President Trump — even as serious questions surround Sondland’s credibility. The hotelier-turned-U.S.…