Supercomputer helps in tracking East Africa locust outbreak
KAMPALA, Uganda — A supercomputer is boosting efforts in East Africa to control a locust outbreak that raises what the U.N. food agency calls “an unprecedented threat” to the region’s food security. The computer, a donation from Britain, uses satellite data to track locust swarms and predict their next destination....
Awkward moment: Trump and Irish PM skip the handshake
WASHINGTON — President Trump and Ireland’s Prime Minister Leo Varadkar found themselves in an awkward moment: How do you a greet a fellow world leader in the midst of a global viral pandemic? The two made the mutual decision upon Varadkar’s arrival Thursday for the Irish leader’s annual visit to...
Disneyland closing for rest of month amid coronavirus fears
Disneyland has announced that it’s shutting down its California theme parks Saturday over concerns about the coronavirus outbreak. The company said in a statement Thursday that Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park will be closed through the end of the month though there have been no reported cases of...
Pentagon threatening retaliatory strike after attack in Iraq
WASHINGTON — U.S. military leaders Thursday threatened a retaliatory strike against Iranian-backed Shia militia in Iraq, saying they know who launched the rockets in Iraq that killed and wounded U.S. and coalition troops and the attackers will be held accountable. Defense Secretary Mark Esper told reporters at the Pentagon that...
Broadway shuts its doors over ongoing coronavirus concerns
NEW YORK — New York’s governor ordered all Broadway theaters to shut their doors in the face of ongoing coronavirus concerns, plunging into darkness one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions and causing turmoil in the run-up to the Tony Awards. Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday banned gatherings of...
Allegheny County officials disclose ‘bottleneck’ in coronavirus testingVideo
There is a “bottleneck” in testing Allegheny County residents for the novel coronavirus because of strict guidelines, Allegheny County health officials said Thursday, at the same time working to quell panic among the public. There are still no known cases of covid-19 in the county, officials said, noting that because...
When it comes to coronavirus, here’s what ‘social distancing’ actually means
Public health and government officials are urging residents to practice social distancing over the next few weeks, but what does that actually mean? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention define it as the practice of staying out of mass gatherings and other congregate settings and keeping at least 6...
Travel bans, market chaos: Dizzying reaction to coronavirus spread around the world
ROME — Sweeping travel bans cascaded around the globe Thursday, walling off countries and even entire continents, keeping people inside their homes, and slowing the engines of commerce to stem the coronavirus pandemic. Markets collapsed with the growing realization that there would be no fast end to the uncertainty. After...
Businesses cut customer perks, loosen sick time rules to cope with coronavirus
Some businesses are taking extra precautions amid concerns about coronavirus. There’s the obvious — encouraging employees to stay home if they’re sick and increasing the cleaning of surfaces. But some are going steps beyond in an effort to curb the spread of the virus, which has been classified as a...
March Madness: Conferences scrap tourneys; NCAAs in doubt
The most powerful conferences in college sports canceled their men’s basketball tournaments Thursday because of the coronavirus, putting in doubt this month’s NCAA Tournament — one of the biggest events on the American sports calendar. Within minutes of each other, the Atlantic Coast, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Southeastern...
Latest on coronavirus: Pennsylvania up to 22 cases; March Madness called off; Wolf closes eastern Pa. schools
The eastern part of Pennsylvania continues to see an increase in presumed coronavirus cases, according to the state Department of Health. Pennsylvania has 20 presumed positive cases of the virus and two confirmed cases as of Thursday. The highest number of cases — 13 — is in Montgomery County, a...
Amid coronavirus precautions, Tokyo Olympic flame is lit in Greece
ATHENS, Greece — The flame for the Tokyo Olympics was lit Thursday at the birthplace of the ancient games in a pared-down ceremony because of the coronavirus. Standing in front of the ruined Temple of Hera in Ancient Olympia, a Greek actress playing the part of a pagan priestess used...
Trump’s ban on travel from Europe escalates pain for airlines
President Donald Trump’s decision Wednesday to impose a 30-day ban on most Europeans entering the United States is the latest calamity for airlines already reeling from falling bookings and cancelled reservations as people try to avoid contracting the coronavirus. The ban, to begin at midnight Friday, won’t apply to Americans...
NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade postponed due to coronavirus
NEW YORK — The New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade has been postponed for the first time in its 258-year history because of coronavirus concerns, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Wednesday. The postponement of the parade on March 17 adds to the roster of events and holidays upended around...
Senate committee delays subpoena related to Burisma, Biden
WASHINGTON — Senate Homeland Security Chairman Ron Johnson said he is postponing a committee vote to subpoena a witness linked to the Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings when former Vice President Joe Biden’s son served on its board. The decision is a reversal from Johnson’s announcement last week that he...
Trump suspends travel from Europe to U.S. for 30 daysVideo
WASHINGTON — Taking drastic action Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced he is cutting off travel from Europe to the U.S. and moving to ease the economic cost of a viral pandemic that is roiling global financial markets and disrupting the daily lives of Americans. Trump made the announcement that he...
Lawyer: Chelsea Manning attempts suicide in Virginia jail
WASHINGTON — A lawyer for Chelsea Manning said Wednesday that the former intelligence analyst tried to take her own life Wednesday, but was transported to a hospital where she is recovering. Manning has been in jail since May 2019 for refusing to testify before a grand jury investigating WikiLeaks. She...
It’s cloudy with a chance of iron rain at hot, faraway planet
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — At one hot, faraway world, it’s always cloudy with a chance of iron rain. That’s the otherworldly forecast from Swiss and other European astronomers who have detected clouds full of iron droplets at a hot Jupiterlike planet 390 light-years away. This mega planet is so hot...
AP sources: Feds wiretap former DEA supervisor in leak probe
MIAMI — Federal investigators took the unusual step of wiretapping a retired supervisor in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Miami office as part of an inquiry into whether sensitive case information was leaked to attorneys for suspected drug traffickers in Colombia, current and former law enforcement officials told The Associated...
Inside a massive DEA raid targeting a drug cartel
CHANTILLY, Va. — In the darkness, team members suit up quietly, putting on their helmets and tactical gear. Federal agents lug battering rams, bolt cutters and heavy weaponry by foot up a hill on a residential California street that’s softly aglow from street lamps. Then the agents turn onto the...
As coronavirus shuts schools, experts debate if that curbs spread
As families across the United States scramble to care for children sent home from schools closed because of the coronavirus, experts disagree on whether such closures protect kids — or even the community. The question of whether to close schools in not a no-brainer, said Marc Lipsitch, an epidemiologist at...
Congress acts to limit Trump on military action in Iran
WASHINGTON — Defying a veto threat, Congress has approved a bipartisan measure to limit President Donald Trump’s authority to launch military operations against Iran. The House gave final legislative approval to the measure Wednesday, 227-186, sending it to Trump. The president has promised to veto the war powers resolution, warning...
Sanders not dropping out but where does he go from here?Video
BURLINGTON, Vt. — Bernie Sanders is vowing to press ahead with his presidential campaign at least long enough to debate Joe Biden this weekend, even while acknowledging his deficit in the Democratic race may be insurmountable. The Vermont senator on Wednesday offered no further details on what his campaign may...
Afghans set to release 1,500 Taliban; U.S. wants less violenceVideo
KABUL, Afghanistan — After a series of delays, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani issued a decree early Wednesday promising to release 1,500 Taliban prisoners as a goodwill gesture to get intra-Afghan negotiations started. A recent peace deal signed between the United States and the Taliban called for the release of up...
WHO officially declares coronavirus outbreak is now a pandemic
ROME — Expressing alarm both about mounting infections and slow government responses, the World Health Organization declared Wednesday that the global coronavirus crisis is now a pandemic but also said it’s not too late for countries to act. By reversing course and using the charged word “pandemic” that it had...
