West Lafayette, Indiana - The growth of palm oil, the most-consumed vegetable oil in the world, has been fueled by expansion of palm plantings in Malaysia and Indonesia that have contributed to massive deforestation in those countries. The carbon and biodiversity losses there have spurred the European Union and others to call for measures to slow palm oil sales and limit forest losses.

Seattle, Washington - A North Carolina man was sentenced Friday to two years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for abusive sexual contact with a minor, Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran of the Western District of Washington announced.

Dallas, Texas - With Hurricane Dorian forecast to impact the Florida, Georgia and North and South Carolina coastal areas this week, the American Heart Association, the world’s leading voluntary health organization devoted to fighting cardiovascular disease and stroke, is sharing helpful information for those dealing with the storm.

Washington, DC - Behzad Pourghannad pleaded guilty Thursday to participating in a conspiracy to export carbon fiber from the United States to Iran between 2008 and 2013.

Washington, DC - A Texas woman who managed aspects of an international program at an Ohio-based adoption agency pleaded guilty today for her role in a scheme to corruptly facilitate adoptions of Ugandan children through bribing Ugandan officials and defrauding U.S. adoptive parents and the U.S. Department of State.

Nashville, Tennessee - A Tennessee health care executive was sentenced to 42 months in prison Wednesday for her role in a $4.6 million kickback scheme.