Associated Press stories, Page 1848
South Africa says new strain driving resurgence
JOHANNESBURG — South Africa has announced that a new variant of the covid-19 virus is driving the country’s resurgence of the disease, with higher numbers of confirmed cases, hospitalizations and deaths. According to health officials and scientists leading the country’s virus strategy, the new variant, known as 501.V2, is dominant...
German court convicts man of murder over synagogue attack
BERLIN — A German court on Monday convicted a right-wing extremist of murder and attempted murder and sentenced him to life in prison for his attack on a synagogue last year on Yom Kippur, Judaism’s holiest day. He killed two people after he failed to gain entry to the building....
This day in sports history: Dec. 21Video
1891 — Dr. James Naismith introduces the first game of basketball. Based on 13 rules created by Naismith, the game is tested by 18 students at the School for Christian Workers in Springfield, Mass. Using a soccer ball, two peach baskets and two teams of nine players each, the objective...
Kilauea volcano erupts on Hawaii’s Big Island
HONOLULU, Hawaii — The Kilauea volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island has erupted, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The eruption began late Sunday within the within Halema’uma’u crater. The volcano is located within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. A magnitude 4.4 earthquake hit about an hour after the volcano began erupting. The...
China criticizes U.S. corporate auditing penalties
BEIJING — China’s government on Monday called on Washington not to enforce a measure that might expel Chinese companies from U.S. stock exchanges if they fail American government audits. The law, signed Friday by President Donald Trump, is a response to complaints Chinese companies were failing to comply with stricter...
Pope tells Vatican bureaucrats to stop gossipy conflicts
ROME — Pope Francis urged Vatican bureaucrats on Monday to stop their gossipy, self-absorbed conflicts, issuing another tough-love Christmas message at the end of a year marked by the coronavirus pandemic and a financial scandal at the Holy See. Francis gathered his cardinals, bishops and Vatican prelates for his annual...
Congress seals agreement on $900 billion covid relief bill
WASHINGTON — After months of Washington gridlock, Congress is set to act on a $900 billion pandemic relief package, finally delivering long-sought cash to businesses and individuals and resources to vaccinate a nation confronting a frightening surge in covid-19 cases and deaths. The relief package, agreed to on Sunday and...
Coastal Carolina, Cincinnati headline Bowl Day snubsVideo
The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers did everything asked of them and then some. Coastal played 11 games during a pandemic that wreaked havoc on schedules nationwide and won them all. The Chanticleers even added unbeaten BYU late in the season on short notice and pulled out a victory in one of...
Team Thomas wins PNC Championship as Tiger Woods celebrates memory with his sonVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — Justin Thomas and Tiger Woods traded text messages on the eve of the final round at the PNC Championship, their teams tied for the lead and in contention. Neither mentioned winning. This was about Woods getting to play alongside 11-year-old son Charlie, watching him twirl the club...
West Virginia to play Tennessee in Liberty Bowl on New Year’s Eve
West Virginia (5-4) will play Tennessee in the Liberty Bowl at 4 p.m. Dec. 31 in Memphis, Tenn. It is WVU’s first bowl game under second-year coach Neal Brown. The Mountaineers are 0-2 in the Liberty Bowl. They beat the Volunteers, 40-14, in the only other matchup between the teams,...
NFL roundup Week 15: Jets edge Rams to avoid winless seasonVideo
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Sam Darnold passed for 207 yards and the New York Jets finally earned the first victory of their miserable season Sunday, holding on for a 23-20 win that erased the possibility of the third winless 16-game season in NFL history. Frank Gore rushed for an early touchdown...
No more reign: Belichick’s Pats eliminated from playoff race
MIAMI — Some things with the New England Patriots haven’t changed, such as Bill Belichick’s impassive demeanor, win or lose. He wore a protective mask and offered only a few words as he stared into a camera Sunday and described his reaction to being left out of the playoffs for...
U.S. airport traffic rising despite holiday travel warnings
SAN RAMON, Calif. — More than 1 million people have passed through U.S. airport security checkpoints in each of the past two days in a sign that public health pleas to avoid holiday travel are being ignored, despite an alarming surge in covid-19 cases. It marks the first time U.S....
Trump wants Supreme Court to overturn Pa. election results
WASHINGTON — Undeterred by dismissals and admonitions from judges, President Donald Trump’s campaign continued with its unprecedented efforts to overturn the results of the Nov. 3 election Sunday, saying it had filed a new petition with the Supreme Court. The petition seeks to reverse a trio of Pennsylvania Supreme Court...
Lamar Jackson leads surging Ravens to rout of Jaguars
BALTIMORE — No drama, no comeback and, thankfully, no cramps. Instead, Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens enjoyed a feel-good, confidence-building blowout that boosted their chances of reaching the playoffs for the third consecutive year. Jackson threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score, and Baltimore built a 26-point...
Iraqi army: 8 rockets target U.S. Embassy in Baghdad
BAGHDAD — Eight rockets targeted the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone late Sunday, Iraq’s military and Iraqi officials said, sparking fears of renewed unrest as next month’s anniversary of the U.S. slaying of an Iranian general draws near. An Iraqi military statement said an “an outlawed group”...
Robert Morris men’s basketball team falls to Marshall on road
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Jannson Williams tied his career high with 24 points as Marshall beat Robert Morris, 85-71, on Sunday. AJ Bramah had 16 points for the Colonials (1-2). Jon Williams added 15 points. Kahliel Spear had 13 points. Taevion Kinsey had 17 points for Marshall (5-1). Obinna Anochili-Killen added...
People over 75, essential workers next in line for covid vaccineVideo
NEW YORK — An expert committee put people 75 and older and essential workers like firefighters, teachers and grocery store workers next in line for COVID-19 shots as a second vaccine began rolling out Sunday to hospitals, a desperately needed boost as the nation works to bring the coronavirus pandemic...
Dr. Deborah Birx travels, family visits highlight pandemic safety perils
WASHINGTON — As covid-19 cases skyrocketed before the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus response, warned Americans to “be vigilant” and limit celebrations to “your immediate household.” For many Americans that guidance has been difficult to abide, including for Birx herself. The day after...
West Virginia reports another week of record virus deaths
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia has smashed another weekly record for deaths related to the coronavirus pandemic, while the number of residents hospitalized for covid-19 has come down in recent days. According to health officials, 160 people died in the state from the virus for the week ending Sunday, breaking...
Arizona migrant border deaths on track for record amid heat
DOUGLAS, Ariz. — Heat exposure killed 19-year-old Cesar de la Cruz on an Arizona trail in July during his trek up from southern Mexico. The body of Juan Lopez Valencia, another young Mexican man, was discovered Aug. 3 along a dry wash on Native American land. After the hottest, driest...
Average US price of gas up 4 cents a gallon to $2.26
CAMARILLO, Calif. — The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline jumped 4 cents a gallon over the past two weeks to $2.26. Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg of the Lundberg Survey said Sunday that a rise in crude oil prices spurred the increase. The price at the pump is 35 cents...
2nd covid-19 vaccine authorized in US is shipped out
OLIVE BRANCH, Miss. — Initial shipments of the second covid-19 vaccine authorized in the U.S. left a distribution center Sunday, a desperately needed boost as the nation works to bring the coronavirus pandemic under control. The trucks left the Memphis-area factory with the vaccine developed by Moderna and the National...
College Football Playoff matchups: Alabama vs. Notre Dame; Clemson vs. Ohio State
A college football season filled with uncertainty brought on by the pandemic will end with a perfectly predictable College Football Playoff. Alabama vs. Notre Dame. Clemson vs. Ohio State. Four of the the bluest of blue bloods and the teams that have comprised the top four in all the relevant...
Racism targets Asian food, business during covid-19 pandemic
As the coronavirus spread throughout the U.S., bigotry toward Asian Americans was not far behind, fueled by the news that covid-19 first appeared in China. Some initial evidence suggested the virus began in bats, which infected another animal that may have spread it to people at one of Wuhan, China’s...
