Michelle Obama opens Special Olympics in Los Angeles
Michelle Obama welcomed thousands of athletes with intellectual disabilities to the Special Olympics World Games on Saturday during a festive opening ceremony filled with cheers, songs and praise for their courage and determination.
Earlier, President Barack Obama welcomed the athletes by video.
At least 1,500 athletes and coaches spent the night at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles after flights and buses arrived late on Tuesday, Special Olympics spokesman Rich Perelman said.
It was the largest gathering of athletes in Los Angeles since the 1984 Summer Olympics.
House passes bill to prevent mandatory GMO labeling
Food companies would not have to disclose whether their products include genetically modified ingredients under legislation passed by the House July 23, a bill that would take effect in July 2016 if it survives a legal challenge from the food industry.
The House bill is backed by the food industry, which has fought mandatory labeling efforts in several states around the country. The legislation, which passed 275-150, would prevent states from requiring package labels to indicate the presence of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs.
Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin said after the vote that people who want to know what’s in their food will eventually win the fight.
Yemen airstrikes resume; 15 allied fighters killed
The Saudi-led coalition launched new airstrikes in at least two Yemen provinces July 27, piercing a humanitarian pause that started at midnight July 26, security officials and witnesses said.
The deadly strikes happened near the strategic military base of al-Anad, which is held by the rebels and was also hit by coalition planes. The coalition also struck north of the port city of Aden. Anti-aircraft gunfire was heard in the rebel-held capital, Sanaa, as coalition planes buzzed overhead.
The humanitarian pause was intended to help allow humanitarian aid to be delivered to ease the suffering of civilians in the Arab world’s poorest country.
A weak open for US stocks; Chinese market drops sharply
U.S. stocks are getting off to a weak start, continuing a recent stretch of losses. The Shanghai stock index plunged 8.5 percent July 27, its worst fall since 2007, despite government efforts to calm the market.
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries of Israel jumped 8 percent after saying it would buy Allergan’s generic drug business. Allergan jumped 7.5 percent. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 133 points, or 0.8 percent, to 17,435 as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index lost 13 points, or 0.6 percent, to 2,066. The Nasdaq composite declined 47 points, or 1 percent, to 5,039.
Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.22 percent.
Coast Guard finds boat, but no sign of 2 teen fishermen
The Coast Guard scoured the waters off Florida on July 27, searching for any sign of two 14-year-old fishermen who disappeared three days earlier as they headed toward the Bahamas.
The Coast Guard located the teens’ 19-foot boat about 67 miles from where they were last seen buying $110 worth of gas on July 26. The center-console boat had capsized but didn’t appear damaged.
There were storms in the area at the time Perry Cohen and Austin Stephanos started their trip Friday. Despite their age, they have been described as experienced boaters.
The families of the teens are offering $100,000 reward in the search.
