Associated Press stories, Page 1476
Stores kick off Black Friday but pandemic woes linger
Retailers are expected to usher in the unofficial start to the holiday shopping season Friday with bigger crowds than last year in a closer step toward normalcy. But the fallout from the pandemic continues to weigh on businesses and shoppers’ minds. Buoyed by solid hiring, healthy pay gains and substantial...
Egypt unveils renovated ‘Avenue of the Sphinxes’ in Luxor
Egyptian authorities were unveiling Thursday a renovated ancient promenade in the city of Luxor dating back 3,000 years, the latest government project undertaken to highlight the country’s archaeological treasures. Egypt has struggled to revive its tourism industry, battered by years of political turmoil following the 2011 popular uprising that toppled...
Stocks sink on new covid variant; Dow loses 905 points
Stocks sank Friday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average briefly falling more than 1,000 points, as a new coronavirus variant first detected in South Africa appeared to be spreading across the globe. Investors were uncertain whether the variant could potentially reverse months of progress at getting the covid-19 pandemic under...
No. 12 Michigan State looks for bounce back vs. Penn State
Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne relived his team’s outing at Ohio State three times on film. The nightmarish performance will be hard to forget. “It was tough to watch and see the things that happened,” he said of the 56-7 road loss to the Buckeyes. “It was really frustrating to...
FDA: Merck covid pill effective, experts will review safety
Federal health regulators say an experimental covid-19 pill from Merck is effective against the virus, but they will seek input from outside experts on risks of birth defects and other potential problems during pregnancy. The Food and Drug Administration posted its analysis of the pill ahead of a public meeting...
West Virginia’s bowl hopes resting on trip to Kansas
LAWRENCE, Kan. — West Virginia has gone through a roller-coaster of a season that includes soaring wins over Virginia Tech and Iowa State and crushing losses to Maryland and Texas Tech, and it all leaves the Mountaineers with everything on the line Saturday. Knock off Kansas, and they go to...
Analysis: Sizing up 10 teams with best Super Bowl chances
Close games and unpredictable outcomes have been a staple this NFL season. Thanksgiving Day was the latest example. The Bears beat the Lions on a last-second field goal. The Raiders upset the Cowboys on a field goal in overtime. The league and the networks must love it, and fans stay...
Acquitted and in demand, Kyle Rittenhouse ponders what’s next
KENOSHA, Wis. — When he was acquitted of murder in shootings during unrest in Wisconsin, Kyle Rittenhouse went from staring at possible life behind bars to red-hot star of the right: an exclusive interview with Tucker Carlson and a visit with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago capped by a photo of...
Afghan girl from famous National Geographic cover portrait evacuated to Italy
ROME — National Geographic magazine’s famed green-eyed “Afghan Girl” has arrived in Italy as part of the West’s evacuation of Afghans following the Taliban takeover of the country, the Italian government said Thursday. The office of Premier Mario Draghi said Italy organized the evacuation of Sharbat Gulla after she asked...
Survivor found in coal mine accident in Russia’s Siberia, with death toll at 51
MOSCOW — Rescuers have found a survivor in a Siberian coal mine where dozens of miners are presumed dead after a devastating methane explosion, a top local official announced Friday. Sergei Tsivilyov, governor of the Kemerovo region where the mine is located, said on the messaging app Telegram that the...
Explainer: What is this new covid variant in South Africa?
LONDON — South African scientists have identified a new version of the coronavirus this week that they say is behind a recent spike in covid-19 infections in Gauteng, the country’s most populous province. It’s unclear from where the new variant actually arose, but it was first detected by scientists in...
Thanksgiving: If the feast is back, so are the leftovers
We’ve all learned more than we bargained for about how to celebrate the holidays during uncertain times. Last year, many of us cooked smaller Thanksgiving feasts and celebrated by Zoom. This year, with the proper precautions, we might see more real-life gatherings, and plates full of most — if not...
No. 23 Texas A&M women beat Pitt at Paradise Jam
ST. THOMAS, Virgin Islands — Jordan Nixon and Destiny Pitts scored 12 points, Kayla Wells added 10 points and No. 23 Texas A&M used a late run to pull away for a 57-46 win over the Pitt women’s basketball team Thursday night at the Paradise Jam. Wells and Pitts made...
Josh Allen throws for 4 TDs as Bills beat short-handed SaintsVideo
NEW ORLEANS — Josh Allen passed for 260 yards and four touchdowns, Buffalo’s defense stifled New Orleans’ short-handed offense and the Bills rolled to a 31-6 victory Thursday night that sent the injury-ravaged Saints to their fourth straight loss. Tight end Dawson Knox caught two TD passes, giving him a...
Raiders beat Cowboys in overtime on field goal after penalty
ARLINGTON, Texas — Daniel Carlson kicked a 29-yard field goal in overtime after Anthony Brown’s fourth pass-interference penalty kept the drive alive, and the Las Vegas Raiders beat the Dallas Cowboys, 36-33, on Thursday. Carlson’s fifth field goal came after Brown was called for interference on Zay Jones on third-and-18....
New transfer rule leads to fast turnarounds for hoops teamsVideo
BOULDER, Colo. — When Richard Pitino took over the downtrodden University of New Mexico men’s basketball program last March at the start of the pandemic, he couldn’t hit the recruiting trail to improve a team rich in tradition and light on recent success. His timing, however, couldn’t have been better....
Cairo Santos’ game-ending field goal ends Bears’ skid versus winless Lions
DETROIT — Matt Nagy still has a job, and perhaps his team has a shot to salvage its season. Cairo Santos made a 28-yard game-ending field goal to give the slumping Chicago Bears a 16-14 victory over the winless Detroit Lions on Thursday. The Bears (4-7) ended a five-game losing...
Families struggle with how to hold 2nd pandemic Thanksgiving
Back in the spring, Pauline Criel and her cousins talked about reuniting for Thanksgiving at her home near Detroit after many painful months of seclusion because of the covid-19 pandemic. But the virus had a different plan. Michigan is now the nation’s hot spot. Hospitals there are teeming with patients,...
Ahmaud Arbery’s mom: Thankful for justice and son’s legacy
BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Ahmaud Arbery’s mother woke up Thursday with a new, very important blessing on Thanksgiving Day. But there will still be an empty chair at the family’s celebrations. It is a reminder that while she feels justice was served when the three white men who helped shoot her...
South Korea to launch task force on banning dog meat
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea on Thursday said it will launch a task force to consider outlawing dog meat consumption after the country’s president offered to look into ending the centuries-old practice. Restaurants that serve dog meat are dwindling in South Korea as younger people find dog meat a...
Who’s a hero? Some states, cities still debating hazard pay
HARTFORD, Conn. — When the U.S. government allowed so-called hero pay for frontline workers as a possible use of pandemic relief money, it suggested occupations that could be eligible from farm workers and childcare staff to janitors and truck drivers. State and local governments have struggled to determine who among...
This date in sports history: Nov. 25
1925 — Red Grange, playing his first game as a professional with the Chicago Bears, is held to 36 yards in a 0-0 tie with the Chicago Cardinals. 1934 — The Detroit Lions suffer the first defeat in franchise history, 3-0 to the Green Bay Packers. The Lions had won...
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson says he expects to play this weekendVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Lamar Jackson insists this is different than last week’s false start. Jackson said Wednesday he’s feeling better and fully expects to play Sunday night for the Baltimore Ravens against Cleveland. He also was at practice, three days after missing a victory at Chicago because of an...
No College Football Playoff spot price to pay for ACC parityVideo
Pat Narduzzi still can’t make up his mind. Back in July, the longtime Pitt coach thought the College Football Playoff should stand pat at four teams. Now, with the 20th-ranked Panthers assured of a spot in the ACC title game after wrapping up the Coastal Division title, he’s not so...
Vikings praise police for peaceful ending to Everson Griffen crisis
EAGAN, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings have made mental health support an organizational priority, an investment that only became more important with Everson Griffen’s frightening experience three years ago. The condition of mental illness never truly goes away, as the Vikings were reminded Wednesday. The team was relieved when Griffen...
