UR MAG

Over the course of eight and a half hours, a Northern California nurse hopped between bars during a Friday evening while sailing on a Carnival Cruise vacation.

As the vessel toured Baja California, Diana Sanders of Vacaville sampled tequila shots — 14 or 15 in total — from six ship taverns, tequileras and pubs, according to court documents.

Shortly after her final drink, a “swaying, stammering” Sanders stumbled down a set of stairs, according to court documents. She said she suffered severe injuries and filed a lawsuit against Florida-based Carnival Corp., contending the ship's crew was negligent and overserved drinks.

A Miami-Dade County jury agreed with the 45-year-old this month, holding Carnival 60% responsible for negligence and delivering Sanders a $300,000 verdict.

“It felt amazing,” Sanders said of the win. “So, I was really happy when I saw the jury of my peers and I felt like the whole time they saw right through what the defense was trying to do, how they tried to defame my character.”

Carnival did not respond to questions from The Times regarding if the company would amend any alcoholic beverage policies in the wake of the decision.

The company issued a statement on Friday morning, saying, "Carnival Corporation respectfully disagrees with the verdict and believes there are grounds for a new trial and appeal, which it will pursue."

The lawsuit said Sanders was served approximately 14 alcoholic beverages between 2:58 and 11:37 p.m., while Sanders' attorney Spencer Aronfeld said in a social media post that his client downed 15 drinks.

Read more:Cruise passenger was served 33 drinks, pepper sprayed and restrained before he died, lawsuit says

While the number may be in dispute, Sanders’ actions were not contested.

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She was said to be “slurring her speech, had alcohol on her breath and was acting belligerent while she was in plain view of the crew members serving her,” according to the lawsuit.

While attempting to climb down a set of stairs, Sanders fell sometime between 11:45 p.m. and 12:20 a.m., according to court documents.

Sanders suffered injuries, including a concussion, headaches, possible traumatic brain injury, back and tailbone injuries and extreme mental anguish.

“Waking up after blacking out and going to the crew and asking them for help and asking them to tell me what happened was extremely frustrating,” Sanders said in a social media post. “They gave me conflicting information. They treated me like a criminal. I was very concerned that they wouldn’t tell me exactly what happened to me.”

The lawsuit claimed it was Carnival’s responsibility to “supervise and/or assist passengers aboard the vessel who Carnival knew, or should have known, were engaging, or were likely to engage, in behavior potentially dangerous to themselves or others aboard the vessel.”

Read more:Fraud allegations, fires, federal cuts: What's in L.A. County's $48.8-billion budget plan

The lawsuit added that crew members continued to serve Sanders “well past the point where she became visibly intoxicated.”

“Passengers have a responsibility to drink responsibly but cruise lines also have a responsibility to serve responsibly,” Aronfeldsaid in a social media post. “When you serve someone who is visibly intoxicated, repeatedly drink after drink, it can lead to disastrous consequences.”

Updates:11:57 a.m. April 17, 2026:Added comments from Carnival Corp.

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This story originally appeared inLos Angeles Times.

Pope Leo XIV said Saturday “it’s not in my interest” to debate US President Donald Trump, insisting his trip to Africa is focused on peacebuilding rather than any personal clash.

The first American pope, speaking to reporters on board the papal plane from Cameroon to Angola, said the “political situation” caused by Trump’s attacks on him had led to some inaccurate commentary during his 11-day trip to Africa.

Before Leo departed on his four-country tour on April 13, the president launched a broadside against the pope through his Truth Social platform, with the criticisms continuing for several days.

But on Saturday, the pope said he was not seeking to debate Trump and that “a certain narrative” about the trip had been fostered by the “political situation” created by the president.

“There has been a certain narrative (about the visit) that has not been accurate in all of its aspects but because of the political situation created when, on the first day of the trip, the President of the United States made some comments about me,” the pope said on board the plane from Yaoundé to Luanda. “Much of what has been written since then has been more commentary on commentary, trying to interpret what has been said.”

The pope pointed to the speech he made Thursday in Bamenda, Cameroon, in which he spoke of the world being ravaged by a “handful of tyrants” and leaders spending “billions of dollars” on war.

“The talk that I gave at the prayer meeting for peace a couple of days ago was prepared two weeks ago, well before the president had ever commented on myself and the message of peace that I am promoting,” he said on board Saturday’s flight. “And yet, as it happens, it was looked at as if I was trying to debate again the president, which is not in my interest at all.”

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On board the plane to Algeria on 13 April, Leo responded to the president’s online attacks, saying he was not afraid of the Trump administration and would keep pushing his message of peace. But recent days have seen an unprecedented clash – albeit largely one-sided – between a US pope and US president.

The pope’s visit to Africa is the longest of his pontificate and takes him to a continent where the Catholic Church is growing. According to Vatican statistics, around a fifth of the world’s Catholics live in Africa.

“I primarily come to Africa as a pastor, as the head of the Catholic Church, to be with, to celebrate with, to encourage and accompany all of the Catholics throughout Africa,” Leo said Saturday.

He added that his time in Africa was about “dialogue, promotion of fraternity, true understanding, acceptance, peacebuilding with people of all faiths.”

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By Tuvan Gumrukcu

ANTALYA, April 18 (Reuters) - British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said on Saturday the Strait of Hormuz had yet to ‌return to normal operations despite a ceasefire in the Iran ‌war, urging Tehran to allow global shipping to fully resume.

"We are at a critical ​diplomatic moment with a ceasefire now in place ... but we don't yet have normal passage through the strait," Cooper told Reuters on the sidelines of a diplomacy forum in Antalya.

A convoy of tankers was crossing the strait ‌on Saturday, the first major ⁠movement of ships in the crucial waterway since the U.S. and Israel launched their war on Iran on ⁠February 28.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Saturday that Tehran had agreed to "the managed passage of a limited number of oil tankers and commercial ​vessels through ​the Strait of Hormuz". It added ​that the strait will remain ‌under strict Iranian control if the U.S. does not ensure full freedom of navigation for vessels travelling from and to Iran.

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Cooper said the U.S.-Iran truce needed to develop into a lasting peace, adding that restoring shipping through the waterway was urgent for the global economy.

"We need the Strait ‌of Hormuz open ... because this helps all ​of our economies right across the world ​that are currently being held ​hostage," she said.

Cooper said more than 50 countries had ‌backed efforts to support freedom of ​navigation, with over ​a dozen prepared to provide maritime support, including demining and reassurance for shipping, once the conflict ends.

She said there was still “considerable work ​to do” to ‌turn the ceasefire into an enduring settlement and urged all sides ​to uphold the truce.

(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Jonathan ​Spicer, Louise Heavens and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)

The Dallas Stars, despite reaching the conference finals the past three seasons, have a poor record in Game 1s.

The effort in their Saturday, April 18 playoff opener was poorer than usual.

The Stars were routed 6-1 at home by the Minnesota Wild and find themselves trailing after the first game of the series for the ninth time in their last 11 openers.

Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said "to a man," the Wild were better than his team, which didn't happen a lot during the regular season.

"You can't get your game going if you're not going to win battles," he told reporters. "You can take any metric and if you lose skating battles and puck battles, you're always on the receiving end of everything negative."

The Stars, under previous coach Peter DeBoer, overcame a 5-1 loss in their 2025 playoff opener to beat the Colorado Avalanche in seven games, so they are far from in trouble.

"There's room for growth," Gulutzan said.

Here are the winners and losers from the opening night of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs:

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WINNERS

Jesper Wallstedt, Minnesota Wild

Coach John Hynes chose the rookie over veteran Filip Gustavsson for Game 1. Wallstedt made 27 saves for a victory in his first playoff game. In fact, coaches made the right decisions in net in other games. Carolina veteran Frederik Andersen got the start over Brandon Bussi and had a 22-save shutout. Stuart Skinner kept the Penguins in the game during their loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Porter Martone, Philadelphia Flyers

What a move on his goal, which ended up being the game-winner at Pittsburgh. He skated hard into the zone, stopped, circled back and ripped a shot past Skinner for a 3-1 lead. Martone is 19 and just signed after his Michigan State season ended.

Wild power play

The Wild had the third-best power play in the regular season behind Dallas and the Edmonton Oilers. It connected twice in Saturday's game, with both goals by Joel Eriksson Ek.

LOSERS

Jake Oettinger, Dallas Stars

He waspulled in his last playoff gamein 2025 by DeBoer and gave up five goals on Saturday. Gulutzan never considered pulling Oettinger, saying he didn't think goaltending was an issue in the loss.

"I'm going to be a lot better next game," Oettinger said.

Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins

The Flyers did what they could to get Crosby off his game. He took two penalties in the game, the first one for pulling off Jamie Drysdale's helmet. He was sent off the ice for a retaliatory slash on Travis Sanheim, who had cross-checked him. That meant Crosby was unavailable as the Penguins were pressing to rally from a 3-1 deficit late in the third period.

"We have to stay out of it a little more and trust that when they try to stir it up that they're going to be penalized for it," Crosby told reporters.

Artem Zub, Ottawa Senators

The Senators defenseman delivered a big hit on Carolina's Seth Jarvis but took the worst of it. He exited the game, leaving Ottawa short-handed on defense in a 2-0 loss. There was no update on his condition after the game.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NHL playoff openers winners and losers: Stars crushed in Game 1

Two soldiers from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, were injured in a brown bear attack on Friday during a training session.

"The incident involved two soldiers participating in a land navigation training exercise," a news statement from the 11th Airborne Division, of which both soldiers are a part, said. "Both individuals sustained injuries and are currently receiving appropriate medical care. For privacy reasons, we are not releasing names or specific details about their conditions until next of kin has been notified."

Further details on the extent of the soldiers' injuries were not made available as the investigation is ongoing, officials said.

Both soldiers carried and deployed bear spray during the land navigation training exercise, according to the statement provided to CBS News.

It was likely a defensive attack by a bear recently emerging from a den after hibernating during the winter, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said after an investigation. Officials said they weren't able to locate a bear when scouring the remote region.

"We hope both individuals have a full and quick recovery, and our thoughts are with them during this time. ADF&G will continue investigating the circumstances that led to the attack and try to learn everything we can about what happened to increase public safety around wildlife in Alaska," Regional Supervisor Cyndi Wardlow said in a statement. "In this case, having bear spray with them in the field may have saved their lives."

Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson is home to more than 40,000 people, of whom more than half are active duty military members. In addition to the 11th Airborne, it is also the home of the 673d Air Base Wing and U.S. Army Alaska.

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It is not unheard of for soldiers to be attacked by bears at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. In May 2022, a soldier, identified as Staff Sgt. Seth Michael Plant, 30, was killed when he was attacked by a bear west of the Anchorage Regional Landfill,according to the base.

Bear attacks are fairly common in Alaska due to the large population. There are about 100,000 black bears and 30,000 brown bears in Alaska, according to the Department of Fish and Game.

There were 68 people hospitalized following bear attacks in the state from 2000 to 2017, according to astudyby Alaska's Section of Epidemiology. The vast majority of attacks – similar to the one on Thursday – are by brown bears, about 96%, according to the study.

There were 10 fatalities resulting from eight separate attacks over that time period, the study showed.

We traveled into the Strait of Hormuz. Here's what we saw.

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