INDEPENDENCE DAY

Sri Lanka has marked its 75th independence anniversary as a bankrupt nation, with many citizens angry, anxious and in no mood to celebrate.

SYFY's new space survival series "The Ark" launches tonight with a spaceship disaster waking passengers from cryogenic hibernation.

Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart will provide an update Friday regarding the Highland Park mass shooting.

Tanzania’s president has canceled Independence Day celebrations scheduled for Friday and directed that the budget instead be used to build dormitories for children with special needs

The report recommends barring gun permits — even with sponsorship — for minors, banning high-capacity magazines and strengthening the red flag law.

Opposition politicians in Poland have criticized police for detaining anti-fascist activists but not reacting to the appearance of a Nazi-era symbol during a nationalist march.

Tens of thousands of people in Warsaw have marched peacefully in a yearly Independence Day march organized by Polish nationalist groups.

Court proceedings in Lake County continue for Robert E. “Bobby” Crimo III, who is accused of killing seven people and wounding dozens more in a shooting at an Independence Day parade in Highland Park.

The Russian Prosecutor General's Office blocked access to the Hochu Zhit website nationwide on Sunday, according to an anti-censorship organization.

Good afternoon, Chicago. Here's what is happening today.

The memorials have drawn sizable crowds and been praised as centers of comfort and unity, but they have also proven controversial.

"Viva México!" President Andrés Manuel López Obrador shouted repeatedly — calls that were loudly echoed by the massive crowd that packed Mexico City's Zócalo square.

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele has announced on the country’s Independence Day that he will seek re-election to a second five-year term

Videos shared on social media show concert attendees piled on top of one another after being trampled, as a large crowd rushed to exit the venue.

At least nine people have died and some 20 were injured in a stampede in Guatemala early Thursday as the country celebrated its independence.

Jimmy Kimmel tackled Donald Trump\'s Mar-a-Lago raid and evidence of flushing documents down the toilet in the return to his late night show.

Jacqueline von Edelberg, who moved to Highland Park a year ago, had done several public art projects highlighting the toll of gun violence before it struck her new hometown.

Some international legal scholars say Russia’s attack on a Ukrainian train station that killed more than 20 people this week is the latest in a series of strikes on the country’s railway system that may be war crimes.

Tom Nichols on why loan forgiveness is politically risky

Wednesday, August 24 marks the 31st anniversary of Ukraine's Declaration of Independence from the Soviet Union.

Independence Day commemorates Ukraine's 1991 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union.

Ukraine’s president says Russian forces have launched a rocket attack on a train station in central Ukraine on the country’s Independence Day, killing at least 15 people and wounding about 50.

Six months of war have solidified Ukraine’s sense of nationhood.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has decided to show Britain’s solidarity with Ukraine by saying it with flowers.

DDA Multnomah County grand jury has ordered Walmart to pay $4.4 million in damages to a man who sued the store saying he was racially profiled and harassed by a Walmart employee at a Portland, Ore., area store in 2020.

Ukrainian Independence Day and the six-month anniversary of Russia's invasion fall on the same day, drawing different displays across the country.

Ukraine's president warned Russia could do something "particularly cruel" as Ukraine prepares for Independence Day on Wednesday, six months since Moscow's invasion.

KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO - SATURDAY, 20 AUGUST 2022, 21:36 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine believes that Russia might attempt to carry out particularly violent attacks next week [Ukraine's Independence Day is on 24 August, which falls on next Wednesday - ed.

Julio Alvarado-Dubon and Rolman Balcarcel-Bavagas have not been specifically charged with planning a mass shooting.

Prosecutors have said Crimo, 21, admitted to the shooting when police arrested him following an hours long search on July 4.

Police say a Tinley Park woman sent threatening texts about attacking July 4 fireworks celebrations there and in Orland Park, Lockport and Joliet.

Cooper Roberts, the 8-year-old boy paralyzed from the waist down after being wounded at the Fourth of July parade shooting in Highland Park, has improved following a recent, urgent surgery.

A funeral service for 37-year-old Kevin McCarthy is scheduled for Monday afternoon in Skokie, Illinois.

A funeral service was held Monday afternoon for the last of seven people killed by a gunman at an Independence Day parade, as family and friends gathered in suburban Chicago to remember Kevin McCarthy.

A Filipino restaurant in Houston, Texas, held its second annual lumpia eating contest during the Independence Day celebrations on July 4. The restaurant Be More Pacific: Filipino Kitchen & Bar hosted the competition with the aim of helping local small businesses recover from the economic impact of the pandemic, reported Click2Houston.  In the now-popular contest, seven participants representing different restaurants in Houston competed by consuming as many fried lumpia rolls as they could in under 10 minutes.

A North Shore mother fed up with gun violence after the mass shooting in Highland Park is turning her anger into action, organizing a march in Washington, D.C., to ban assault-style weapons.

Highland Park police reports paint a picture of the sometimes tumultuous home where Robert “Bobby” Crimo III grew up before he allegedly gunned down dozens of people enjoying a Fourth of July parade in suburban Chicago.

A "hero citizen" overheard a conversation indicating there was an attack being planned on an Independence Day celebration in Richmond.

Police in Richmond, Va., said a tip from a “hero citizen” helped prevent two illegal immigrants from carrying out a planned shooting at a Fourth of July celebration.

The suspected gunman fired 70 rounds at the Illinois community paradegoers, an experience that Alexander Sandoval said was "terrorizing."

Lake County State Attorney Eric Rinehart announced seven counts of first-degree murder against the suspect in the Fourth of July parade shooting.

Highland Park residents gather to grieve after Independence Day shooting.

Authorities charged Robert E. Crimo III with seven counts of first-degree murder Tuesday but said there was no definitive motive for the rampage.

The Toledos will repatriate their family patriarch, killed in the Highland Park shooting, so that he can rest in peace in his beloved Morelos, Mexico.

For some families, it was their first time going to the fair, but The Poff family has a different story.

A gunman attacked an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago fired more than 70 rounds with an AR-15-style gun that killed at least six people.

On Tuesday, the Virginia State Police reported that nine people died in vehicle crashes over the 2022 Independence Day weekend, and four of those nine people were motorcyclists.

Pope Francis has called for a rejection of violence and respect for life as he lamented the “senseless shooting” during an Independence Day parade in Chicago

Choose your plan ArrowRight The Dow Jones Industrial tumbled more than 500 points or 1.7 percent in morning trading. The S&P 500 index fell by 70 points or 1.8 percent at the start of the session, while the tech heavy-Nasdaq lost 190 points or 1.7 percent. More than $8 trillion has been wiped out of the stock market this year. AdvertisementOne of the key economic signals market observers will be watching this week will be the performance of corporate earnings. The most recent hike, which was announced last month, came in at three-quarters of a percentage point, the Fed’s largest since 1994.

Before looking ahead to next year and America’s 247th birthday in 2023, here are some photos of fireworks displays in New York City, Washington, D.C., Las Vegas and Los Angeles on Monday night.

The protesters said they chose to gather on Independence Day because they felt that their rights are being taken away.

The President and First Lady host a Fourth of July BBQ with military families and deliver remarks to celebrate Independence Day from the South Lawn of the White House.

A 2020 Virginia law allowed inmates to shave time off their sentences for good behavior. But on June 17, Virginia lawmakers approved a budget amendment from Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin that excluded thousands of inmates with violent offenses from receiving these reduced sentences.

It's not at all clear what the former president was referring to in a furious series of Fourth of July messages.

The Lake County Sheriff's office said it is assisting Highland Park Police "with a shooting in the area of the Independence Day parade route."

NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren and Bob Hines sent a message from the International Space Station wishing their compatriots on Earth a happy Independence Day.

Happy Monday and welcome to another edition of Beyond The Forecast!

If you’re viewing evening fireworks with family and friends, you might also want to enlighten them by pointing out the objects that will be sharing the spotlight.

Is Costco open on July 4th? Here's what to know about the store's holiday hours, plus a list of other retailers you can visit on Independence Day.

Freedom First Festival at Elmwood Park welcomes Independence Day with a family-fun weekend.

Earth will be the farthest from the sun on Monday (July 4) as it reaches aphelion at 3 a.m. EDT (0700 GMT).

Friday's passenger volume marked a 13% increase from July 1 last year, which fell on the Thursday before Fourth of July.

Friday's passenger volume marked a 13% increase from July 1 last year, which fell on the Thursday before Fourth of July.

The Fourth of July holiday weekend is jamming U.S. airports with the biggest crowds since the pandemic began in 2020.

The fireworks are still a few days away, but travel for the July Fourth weekend is off to a booming start.

Each day through Independence Day has heat, humidity, and at least some chance for storms

Celebrate the start of your Independence Day weekend by heading to a county music concert in Roanoke.

Thanks to inflation, even a backyard barbecue is more expensive this year, but there are ways to save and not forgo that time-tested holiday tradition.

The skies over a scattering of Western U.S. cities will stay dark for the third consecutive Fourth of July as some big fireworks displays are canceled again, this time for pandemic-related supply chain or staffing problems, or fire concerns amid dry weather.

Israeli authorities said a pair of Palestinian attackers went on a stabbing rampage in a town near Tel Aviv, killing at least three people and wounding four others before fleeing in a vehicle.

The attacks were the latest in a recent string of deadly assaults on civilians, according to public safety officials and Israeli media.

Israeli officials say at least three people have been killed in a Palestinian stabbing attack near Tel Aviv.

Sri Lanka has celebrated its Independence Day with an appeal by the president to the country’s expatriates to send money home as it struggles with the worst economic crisis in decades mainly due to depleted foreign reserves.

The big highlight of Mexico's Independence Day has been the visit by Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel.

Indonesia’s president has pledged to improve COVID-19 testing and treatment in an address marking the country’s independence.

The White House party for the July Fourth holiday has the hallmarks of both happiness and commiseration.

After a year lost to the coronavirus, New York City’s most well-known Fourth of July traditions were back.

President Joe Biden is scheduled to participate in a naturalization ceremony to welcome citizens to our country ahead of Independence Day.

Happy Independence Day! Arguably the best day for fireworks is here.

Events happening this weekend.

With Independence Day on the horizon, there will be plenty of celebrations and fireworks. While it might be a party for you, it’s not so much for your pets.

The colorful display takes place at 9:15pm Friday, July 2nd.

We set our calendars around national holidays — from December 25 for Christmas to July 4 for Independence Day, and, starting this year, June 19 for Juneteenth.

President Joe Biden wants to imbue Independence Day with new meaning this year by encouraging nationwide celebrations to mark the country’s effective return to normalcy after 16 months of coronavirus pandemic disruption and more than 600,000 lives lost.

The prosecutor of Jordan’s state security court has filed sedition and incitement charges against two confidants of King Abdullah II’s half-brother Hamzah.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has sued the U.S. Department of Interior in an effort to see fireworks shot over Mount Rushmore on Independence Day.

Military helicopters fly over Acropolis Hill during a military parade in Athens, Thursday, March 25, 2021. Greece celebrates the bicentenary of the start of the country's war of independence against the Ottoman Empire. Unable to watch the parade in person, many Athenians came out onto balconies in the center of the city to watch the flyby, snapping pictures with cameras and mobile phones. AdThis crucial blow enabled the Greeks to fight on and eventually gain independence in 1830. “Two centuries ago, a handful of determined fighters within and outside Greece, raised the banner of independence.

FILE - In this Sept. 14, 2016 file photo, Secretary of Defense Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda arrives for a review of the troops that will participate in the Independence Day parade, in Mexico City. Mexican prosecutors on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021, declared completely unfounded the U.S. case against Cienfuegos who was arrested on drug charges in the United States and then returned under pressure from the Mexican government. The report released Sunday by the Mexican Attorney General's Office included a 226-page stretch with every page blacked out, followed shortly thereafter by a 275-page stretch of blacked-out pages. In the few readable passages, he says the descriptions of him in the intercepted messages don't match his physical appearance. Cienfuegos was arrested in Los Angeles in October, but the U.S. government dropped its charges against him in November after Mexican officials threatened to restrict U.S. agents.

Protesters burn down bengal fire as they attend in the annual Independence Day march organized by far-right groups for participants to be inside cars or motorbikes because of the coronavirus social distancing, ready for the start of the event in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020. The march that marks Poland's sovereignty regained after World War I has often led to clashes with opponents. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)WARSAW – Poland’s ruling right-wing party has blamed violence, injuries and damage during recent national holiday event that it backs on hooligans and provocateurs. “Unfortunately, during the march there took place condemnable events that were the result of hooligans joining in," it said in a statement. The Nov. 11 national holiday marks Poland’s regaining of sovereignty after World War I, following over a century of partition and foreign rule.

It was the hottest day of 2020 so far, as Roanoke hit 95 degrees and Lynchburg rose to 94. Those are the highest temperatures we’ve seen in our area since an early October heatwave in 2019. Hottest day of the year in Roanoke and Lynchburg (WSLS)We should get a touch of relief from the heat today as many areas top out in the upper 80s or low 90s. Today's hourly temperature planner (WSLS)A cold front will be draped across the area today, providing the lift needed for extra clouds and a few storms. The good news to report is we’re not expecting any of those storms to become severe or cause flooding concerns.

FOREST, Va. – Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest, one of Central Virginia’s strongest ties to the founding fathers, welcomed Independence Day visitors in a different way this year because of covid-19. Poplar Forest guests could still tour the Third President’s former home, but tours were limited to ten people at a time. Everyone at Poplar Forest had to wear a mask, and the museum organized several outdoor activities to keep people at a distance. “A couple of weeks ago, we were very worried that we wouldn’t be able to do anything,” Massie said. However, the house did not open to the public until Independence Day 1986.

The Washington, DC, celebration does not appear to be following US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines concerning gatherings despite deputy White House press secretary Judd Deere telling CNN this week that the White House would enforce social distancing. CNN has asked the White House whether guests are being tested or having temperatures checked but has yet to receive a response. The White House stopped temperature checks of all those entering the White House grounds weeks ago. "Good question, but let me just see," Giroir, the assistant secretary for health for the US Department of Health and Human Services, said when asked if the White House event was setting a good example for other Americans. Trump's remarks, an aide told CNN, will seek to contrast those of former Vice President Joe Biden, which the aide called "truly shocking."

Our hottest region today appears to be Southside with highs around 95 degrees. The New River Valley and Highlands will be a touch cooler with highs in the upper 80s to low 90s. Independence Day planner (WSLS)We expect mostly sunny skies for the holiday and rain chances appear low at just 20 percent. I can’t completely rule out storms around fireworks time, but the risk appears pretty low. We’ll also get a little relief from the heat tomorrow as highs peak in the mid to upper 80s, seasonable for this time of year.

President Trump is scheduled to start speaking at Mount Rushmore’s Independence Day celebration on Friday night at 10:10 p.m., according to the White House. The White House says Trump is the first president since George H. W. Bush in 1991 to attend the celebration. Hours before the event, protesters blocked a road leading to the monument. Authorities worked to move the demonstrators, mostly Native Americans protesting that South Dakota’s Black Hills were taken from the Lakota people against treaty agreements. Trump is expected to denounce the protesters he says are trying to “tear down” the nation’s history.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, places across Southwest and Central Virginia are changing or canceling festivities and fireworks shows. Cosgrove is putting on fireworks shows across the region and he is making sure that his crews have face coverings and maintain social distancing. He said he’s worried other families might not do the same. “I’m actually more worried about the social distancing this year than I am the fireworks,” said Cosgrove. Renee Wood from TNT Fireworks in Roanoke said sales for at-home fireworks and sparklers have skyrocketed.

Many places cited coronavirus guidelines on social distancing as the reason for canceling. With that being said, there are still places this 4th of July weekend you’ll be able to watch fireworks light up the night’s sky. They’re set to begin at 9:30 p.m.Pearisburg: While Mountain Lake couldn’t host this year’s fireworks due to social distancing requirements, the fireworks show has been moved. Covington: The Covington Parks and Recreation Department is hosting fireworks at around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Jackson River Sports Complex. Know about an upcoming fireworks display that’s not included on this list?

“It was very sad to me because I love the 4th of July,” said Amy Wickham, Wytheville resident. “We’ve tried to stay away from the name “Christmas in July” and we went with the name “Independence Illumination.” I thought that sounded really grand,” said Wickham. The first ever Independence Illumination will officially start Friday, July 3rd and run through Sunday, July 5th, giving families something to do this holiday while social distancing. I’m hoping that we’ll have such a great response that it will become an annual event for the town of Wytheville. If you would like to learn more about Independence Illumination, click here.

Narrows, Va. – Fireworks are on in Narrows this Fourth of July. The towns firework committee announced the “drive-in” show this week. The Independence Day show kicks off at 9:45 p.m. According to the committee, the best viewing locations are:Most of the high school hill areaNHS parking lotAll businesses along 460 ( please note it is illegal to park in the median )Farmers Market - Center StreetDuck Pond - Mill Pond FieldDue to the global coronavirus pandemic, you are asked to stay around your car to prevent large gatherings and the spread of the virus. The show is put together on behalf of Narrows Parks & Recreation and Narrows Firework committee.

It’s the perfect time to put the red, white and blue out on display.