Hotel fire in popular Bangkok tourist area kills 3 foreigners
BANGKOK — A fire broke out at a hotel near Bangkok’s Khao San Road, a popular tourist destination, killing three foreigners and injuring several other people, Thai police said Monday. The three who died in the fire on Sunday night were all foreign tourists, Police Colonel Sanong Saengmanee told The...
Politician among protesters arrested in Kenya while calling for an end to alleged abductions
NAIROBI, Kenya — An opposition politician and several other protesters were arrested in Kenya on Monday during street demonstrations calling for an end to alleged abductions, that recently targeted young government critics. Senator Okiya Omtatah had joined hundreds of protesters who sat down on the streets of the capital, Nairobi...
Taliban says it will close all NGOs employing Afghan women
The Taliban say they will close all national and foreign nongovernmental groups in Afghanistan employing women. It comes two years after they told NGOs to suspend the employment of Afghan women, allegedly because they didn’t wear the Islamic headscarf correctly. In a letter published on X Sunday night, the Economy...
What we know about the deadly Jeju Air plane crash in South Korea
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea has vowed thorough investigations to find what caused a plane crash that killed 179 people, saying Monday that it will also inspect all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by the country’s airlines. Sunday’s crash, the nation’s deadliest aviation disaster in decades, has sent a shock...
At least 66 people die after a truck plunges into a river in southern Ethiopia
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — At least 66 people have died after a truck plunged into a river in southern Ethiopia, a hospital director said Monday. The accident took place Sunday when an old, overcrowded truck that was contracted by wedding guests fell off the Gelan Bridge, where villagers said traffic...
Ligonier area native’s illustrious career complemented by service to community
Ligonier Township native Ralph Kinney Bennett’s work in journalism took him from Greensburg to major newspapers around the nation and a national magazine in a four-decade career — but he never forgot his roots in the Ligonier area. “I just know he loved being a reporter and a writer, and...
South Korean authorities seek warrant to detain impeached President Yoon in martial law probe
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean law enforcement officials on Monday requested a court warrant to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol as they investigate whether his short-lived martial law decree Dec. 3 amounted to rebellion. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, which is leading a joint investigation with...
Israeli hospital says Netanyahu has undergone successful prostate surgery
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu underwent successful surgery Sunday to have his prostate removed, hospital officials said, a procedure that came as he manages multiple crises including the war in Gaza and his trial for alleged corruption. Netanyahu, who has had a series of health issues...
Jimmy Carter, the 39th president, dies at 100
ATLANTA — Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who won the presidency in the wake of the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, endured humbling defeat after one tumultuous term and then redefined life after the White House as a global humanitarian, has died. He was 100 years old. The longest-lived American...
Biden administration agrees to stop selling extra border wall material, Texas AG Paxton says
The Biden administration has agreed to not sell any further U.S.-Mexico border wall materials over the next 30 days, the Texas Attorney General’s office said Friday. The administration also has to provide documentation showing it has not violated an injunction that requires the federal government to continue the wall construction...
Kansas once required voters to prove citizenship. That didn’t work out so well
TOPEKA, Kan. — Republicans made claims about illegal voting by noncitizens a centerpiece of their 2024 campaign messaging and plan to push legislation in the new Congress requiring voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship. Yet there’s one place with a GOP supermajority where linking voting to citizenship appears to...
New York Rep. Mike Lawler warns Republicans against ousting House leader
New York Representative Mike Lawler warned fellow Republicans against moving to topple House Speaker Mike Johnson, saying they’d be “playing with fire” and wasting time just as President-elect Donald Trump takes office. With the speakership vote scheduled for Jan. 3, Johnson has faced criticism from some ultraconservative lawmakers after backing...
4 killed as storm system that spawned tornadoes moved across southern U.S.Video
Officials were beginning to assess the damage on Sunday after a strong storm system moved across the southern U.S. over the weekend, spawning tornadoes across the region and killing at least four people. The line of severe weather led to about 40 tornado reports from southeastern Texas to Alabama, National...
10 tips from experts to help you change your relationship with money in 2025
NEW YORK — With the end of 2024 around the corner, you might be reflecting on financial goals for 2025. Whether you’re saving to move out of your parents’ house or pay off student loan debt, financial resolutions can help you stay motivated, said Courtney Alev, consumer advocate for Credit...
Nasty norovirus is back in full force with U.S. cases of the stomach virus surging
Cases of a wretched stomach bug are surging in parts of the United States this winter, according to government data. The most recent numbers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show there were 91 outbreaks of norovirus reported during the week of Dec. 5, up from 69...
2 Oregon men die from exposure in a forest after they went out to look for Sasquatch
STEVENSON, Wash. — Two Oregon men were found dead in a Washington state forest after they failed to return from a trip to look for Sasquatch, authorities said Saturday. The 59-year-old and 37-year-old appear to have died from exposure, the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office said via Facebook. The weather and...
Plane crashes and bursts into flames while landing in South Korea, killing 179
SEOUL, South Korea — A passenger plane skidded off a runway at a South Korean airport Sunday, slammed into a concrete fence and burst into flames after its front landing gear apparently failed to deploy. All but two of the 181 people on board died in one of the country’s...
Tornadoes touch down around Houston, killing 1
HOUSTON — At least one person has died and four more were injured as several tornadoes touched down in the Houston area on Saturday, damaging homes and flipping vehicles. By Saturday afternoon, the storm system was moving east, into Louisiana, where tornado warnings were issued. “These storms are probably going...
Train collides with fire truck in Florida. Police say 3 firefighters and at least 12 passengers hurt
DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — A high-speed passenger train collided with a fire truck at a crossing Saturday morning in Florida, injuring three firefighters and at least a dozen train passengers, authorities said. The crash happened at 10:45 a.m. in crowded downtown Delray Beach, multiple news outlets reported. The Brightline train...
Winning ticket for $1.22B lottery jackpot sold in California, Mega Millions says
At least one Mega Millions player has plenty of dough to ring in the New Year after drawing the winning number. After three months without anyone winning the top prize in the lottery, a ticket worth an estimated $1.22 billion was sold in California for the drawing Friday night, according...
Trump appears to side with Musk, tech allies in debate over foreign workers roiling his supporters
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President-elect Donald Trump appears to be siding with Elon Musk and his other backers in the tech industry as a dispute over immigration visas has divided his supporters. Trump, in an interview with the New York Post on Saturday, praised the use of visas to...
Will New Year’s Eve be loud or quiet? What are the top 2025 resolutions? AP-NORC poll has answers
NEW YORK — If you’re planning on ringing in the new year quietly at home, you’re not alone. A majority of U.S adults intend to celebrate New Year’s Eve at home, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. “As I’ve gotten older over...
New York correctional officers pummeled handcuffed man before death, footage shows
NEW YORK — Newly released video of a fatal New York prison beating shows correctional officers repeatedly pummeling a handcuffed man, striking him in the chest with a shoe, and lifting him by the neck and dropping him. Body camera footage of the Dec. 9 assault on Robert Brooks was...
Putin apologizes for ‘tragic incident’ but stops short of saying Azerbaijani plane was shot down
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday apologized to his Azerbaijani counterpart for what he called a “tragic incident” following the crash of an Azerbaijani airliner in Kazakhstan that killed 38 people, but stopped short of acknowledging that Moscow was responsible. Putin’s apology came as allegations mounted that the...
Big Lots reaches deal to keep hundreds of U.S. stores open
The discount chain Big Lots, which filed for bankruptcy protection in September, has reached a deal that will keep hundreds of its stores and distribution centers open. Big Lots said Friday it will be sold to Gordon Brothers Retail Partners, a firm that specializes in distressed companies. Gordon Brothers will...
