An Asian elephant calf was born at Zurich Zoo and its name will start with the letter Z
ZURICH — A 19-year-old Asian elephant at the Zurich Zoo gave birth this weekend to a male calf whose name, starting with the letter Z, will be announced this week. A light-sensitive monitoring camera picked up the birth before dawn Saturday and the baby’s earliest, wobbly steps inside the zoo’s...
250 years after America went to war for independence, a divided nation battles over its legacy
LEXINGTON, Mass. — Tens of thousands of people came to Lexington, Massachusetts, just before dawn on Saturday to witness a reenactment of how the American Revolution began 250 years ago, with the blast of gunshot and a trail of colonial flair. Starting with Saturday’s anniversary of the Battles of Lexington...
Marijuana holiday 4/20 coincides with Easter and Passover this year. Here’s what to know
Marijuana culture’s high holiday, known as 4/20, falls this year on Easter Sunday, as well as the last day of Passover, meaning cannabis fans can celebrate in some unusual ways, including an “Easter nug hunt” in Los Angeles, kosher-style THC gummies in New York and a “blaze and praise” drag...
Queen Elizabeth II’s favorite dogs race for glory in Britain’s Corgi Derby
LONDON — Some of the fastest canines on four very short legs have raced for glory in Scotland’s annual Corgi Derby. The Musselburgh Racecourse Corgi Derby was first held in 2022 to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne. The late monarch was a devoted corgi fan who...
A Pentecostal church in South Africa holds mass Easter weddings for 3,000 people, some polygamous
JOHANNESBURG — A Pentecostal church in South Africa celebrated Easter Sunday with mass wedding ceremonies for around 3,000 people, with many of them entering into polygamous marriages. The International Pentecost Holiness Church said mass weddings are part of its Easter festivities and the tradition of polygamy, which is observed in...
Zelenskyy says Russia is trying to create an ‘impression of a ceasefire’ as attacks continue
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia on Sunday of creating a false appearance of honoring an Easter ceasefire, saying Moscow continued to launch attacks after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a unilateral temporary truce. “As of Easter morning, we can say that the Russian army is trying...
Pope Francis emerges from convalescence on Easter, delights crowd with popemobile tour
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis emerged from his convalescence on Easter Sunday to bless thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square and treat them to a surprise popemobile romp through the piazza, drawing wild cheers and applause as he continues his recovery from a near-fatal bout of double pneumonia. “Viva...
Lebanese authorities detain people they say were planning rocket attacks on Israel
BEIRUT — Lebanese authorities have detained several people who were allegedly planning to launch rockets into Israel and seized the weapons, the military said Sunday. The army said that the arrests were linked to other detentions announced earlier this week. It added that as military intelligence was investigating that case...
Israeli probe into the killings of 15 Palestinian medics in Gaza finds ‘professional failures’
JERUSALEM — An Israeli investigation into the killings of 15 Palestinian medics last month in Gaza by Israeli forces said Sunday it found a chain of “professional failures” and a deputy commander has been fired. The shootings outraged many in the international community, with some calling the killings a war...
Power tools: Robotics research at Carnegie Mellon aims to revolutionize everyday tasksVideo
At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, the world’s foremost tech conference, farming machinery giant Kubota introduced Flash, a vehicle-mounted camera that creates ultra-detailed images to help farmers care for their crops. It was an idea born in a Carnegie Mellon University robotics lab and another example of the revolutionary technology...
Anti-Trump protesters turn out to rallies in New York, Washington and other cities across country
NEW YORK — Opponents of President Donald Trump’s administration took to the streets of communities large and small across the U.S. on Saturday, decrying what they see as threats to the nation’s democratic ideals. The disparate events ranged from a march through midtown Manhattan and a rally in front of...
Former President Bill Clinton returns to Oklahoma City 30 years after the bombing
OKLAHOMA CITY — Thirty years after the deadliest homegrown attack in U.S. history, former President Bill Clinton returned to Oklahoma City on Saturday to remember the people who were killed and comfort those affected by the bombing. Clinton was president on April 19, 1995, when a truck bomb exploded, destroying...
Netanyahu says Israel has ‘no choice’ but to continue fighting in Gaza
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced again Saturday that Israel has “no choice” but to continue fighting in Gaza and will not end the war before destroying Hamas, freeing the hostages and ensuring that the territory won’t present a threat to Israel. The prime minister...
Supreme Court blocks, for now, new deportations under 18th century wartime law
The Supreme Court on Saturday blocked, for now, the deportations of any Venezuelans held in northern Texas under an 18th century wartime law. In a brief order, the court directed the Trump administration not to remove Venezuelans held in the Bluebonnet Detention Center “until further order of this court.” Justices...
Spring allergies are back. Here’s how to check pollen levels and keep from sneezing
ATLANTA — Allergy season can be miserable for tens of millions of Americans when trees, grass, and other pollens cause runny noses, itchy eyes, coughing and sneezing. Where you live, what you’re allergic to and your lifestyle can make a big difference when it comes to the severity of your...
Putin announces an Easter ceasefire as Russia and Ukraine swap hundreds of POWs
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a temporary Easter ceasefire in Ukraine starting Saturday, citing humanitarian reasons, as Russia and Ukraine swapped hundreds of captured soldiers in the largest exchange since Moscow’s full-scale invasion started over three years ago. According to the Kremlin, the ceasefire will last from 6 p.m. Moscow...
DEI rollbacks hit campus support systems for students of color
WASHINGTON — Campus mentors. Move-in events. Scholarships. Diversity offices that made them feel welcome on predominantly white campuses. As U.S. colleges pull back on diversity, equity and inclusion practices, students of color say they are starting to lose all of these things and more. The full scope of campus DEI...
250 years after America went to war for independence, a divided nation battles over its legacy
LEXINGTON, Mass. — Thousands of people came to this Massachusetts town Saturday just before dawn to witness a reenactment of how the American Revolution began 250 years ago, with the blast of gunshot and a trail of colonial spin. Starting with Saturday’s anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord,...
Some Jan. 6 rioters pardoned by Trump are now embraced as heroes and candidates for office
JACKSON, Mich. — Ryan Kelley thought he had a good shot at becoming Michigan’s governor in 2022. That is, until he was charged with misdemeanors for participating in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. His campaign sputtered and he finished fourth out of five candidates in the Republican...
Glitches, unproven tech in Pa.’s new financial aid system exacerbated delays for thousands of students
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. By October, the scale of the crisis was clear. State grants that thousands of students were counting on to pay for college were weeks behind...
Shooting rampage at Florida State that left 2 dead lasted less than 5 minutes, police say
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Several thousand students, staff and faculty packed a plaza at Florida State University for a vigil Friday evening, bowing their heads in a moment of silence honoring the two people who were killed and six others who were wounded in a shooting rampage the previous day. The...
Judge orders Trump administration to tell fired workers they were not let go for poor performance
SAN FRANCISCO — A U.S. district judge in San Francisco on Friday ordered the Trump administration to provide probationary workers fired en masse a written statement saying they were not terminated for performance reasons, but as part of a government-wide termination. Judge William Alsup is overseeing a lawsuit brought by...
Listen to the 911 call Cody Balmer placed after allegedly setting fire to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s mansionVideo
PHILADELPHIA — In a roughly minute-long phone call to Dauphin County 911, the man accused of setting three fires in Gov. Josh Shapiro’s official residence told dispatchers Pennsylvania’s chief executive needed to leave his family and friends alone. “Gov. Josh Shapiro needs to know that Cody Balmer will not take...
Former Pa. State Police commissioner hired to investigate security breach that led to governor’s mansion arson
PHILADELPHIA — A former commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police who later served as chief of security for the National Football League will conduct an independent security review of the arson attack on the governor’s mansion in Harrisburg, the current head of the state police announced Friday. Jeffrey B. Miller,...
The arson at Gov. Josh Shapiro’s mansion erupted within minutes. The effect lingers
HARRISBURG — The pounding of fists on the governor’s bedroom door was loud and urgent. The mansion was on fire, a state trooper yelled, and Pennsylvania’s first family needed to get out immediately. Gov. Josh Shapiro and his wife, Lori, jumped out of bed and rushed from room to room...
