Report: Sweden, Finland to apply to NATO
Two newspapers — one Swedish, the other one Finnish — are reporting that the governments of Sweden and Finland have agreed to submit NATO applications at the same time and that it will happen in the middle of next month. The Finnish newspaper Iltalehti said that the Swedish government has...
Slovenia’s populist leader loses power as trend continues
LJUBLJANA, Slovenia — Only a few months ago, Robert Golob was virtually unknown in politics, didn’t belong to any party, but had a clear goal: to remove Slovenian right-wing populist Prime Minister Janez Jansa from power and stop a democratic backslide in the tiny Alpine state. On Sunday, the Freedom...
Elon Musk buys Twitter for $44B and will privatize company
Elon Musk reached an agreement to buy Twitter for roughly $44 billion on Monday, promising a more lenient touch to policing content on the social media platform where he — the world’s richest person — promotes his interests, attacks critics and opines on a wide range of issues to more...
Beijing locks down some areas as covid-19 cases mount
China’s capital, Beijing, began mass testing of more than 3 million people on Monday and restricted residents in one part of the city to their compounds, sparking worries of a wider Shanghai-style lockdown. While only 70 cases have been found so far in the city of more than 21 million...
Russia hits faraway targets; diplomat warns of risk of WWIII
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia unleashed a string of attacks Monday against rail and fuel installations deep inside Ukraine, far from the front lines of Moscow’s new eastern offensive, as Russia’s top diplomat warned against provoking World War III and said the threat of a nuclear conflict “should not be underestimated.”...
17 dead in Russian military research facility fire last week
MOSCOW — At least 17 people have died in last week’s fire at a Russian military research facility, authorities said Monday. The regional government in Tver, a city about 112 miles northwest of Moscow, said that so far only five of the victims had been identified. The blaze at the...
Jurors reject array of defenses at Capitol riot trials
Jurors have heard — and rejected — an array of excuses and arguments from the first rioters to be tried for storming the U.S. Capitol. The next jury to get a Capitol riot case could hear another novel defense this week at the trial of a retired New York City...
White House seeks more power to counter use of drones in U.S.
The Biden administration is calling on Congress to expand authority for federal and local governments to take action to counter the nefarious use in the U.S. of drones, which are becoming a growing security concern and nuisance. The White House on Monday released an action plan that calls for expanding...
Melissa Lucio’s execution delayed by Texas appeals court
A Texas appeals court on Monday delayed the execution of Melissa Lucio amid growing doubts about whether she fatally beat her 2-year-old daughter in a case that has garnered the support of lawmakers, celebrities and even some jurors who sentenced her to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted...
Leslie McCrae Dowless, key figure in N.C. absentee ballot fraud probe, dies
RALEIGH, N.C. — Leslie McCrae Dowless Jr., the key player in a North Carolina absentee ballot fraud probe that led to a do-over congressional election, has died. His daughter, Andrea Dowless Heverly, wrote that her father “passed away peacefully” Sunday morning, according to a social media post. He had been...
Georgia’s Brain Kemp, David Perdue clash over elections in debate
ATLANTA — The top two Republicans running for governor in Georgia launched the first of three debates Sunday by bickering over who was responsible for 2020 and 2021 Republican election losses, with former U.S. Sen. David Perdue pressing his attack that incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp is to blame for Democratic...
Nebraska wildfires kill ex-fire chief, hurt 15 firefightersVideo
CAMBRIDGE, Neb. — Wind-driven wildfires sweeping through parts of Nebraska killed a retired fire chief and injured at least 15 firefighters, authorities said Sunday. The man who died Friday night was a retired Cambridge fire chief who was working with firefighters as a spotter in Red Willow County in the...
Praying football coach asking Supreme Court for his job back
SEATTLE — The clock ran down at the end of the homecoming game and spectators stormed the football field, knocking over members of the high school band — all to gather around an assistant coach as he took a knee in prayer, surrounded by uniformed players. Six years later, after...
3 children, 1 adult found dead after fire in PhiladelphiaVideo
PHILADELPHIA — An early morning fire in a north Philadelphia row home has claimed the lives of three children and one adult, authorities said. Fire crews were called to the two-story residence in the Kensington neighborhood shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday and found heavy fire coming from both floors. Three...
Elizabeth Warren calls Kevin McCarthy a ‘liar’ and ‘traitor’ over Jan. 6 tapeVideo
WASHINGTON — Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren is slamming Rep. Kevin McCarthy as a “liar and a traitor” over recordings that show the House Republican leader — despite his denials — placing responsibility on then-President Donald Trump for the Capitol riot and suggesting Trump should resign. It’s unusually strong language to...
France’s Emmanuel Macron is reelected but far-right rival raises gameVideo
PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron comfortably won reelection to a second term Sunday, according to polling agencies’ projections. In the midst of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the result offered the European Union the reassurance of leadership stability in the bloc’s only nuclear-armed power and was immediately hailed by France’s...
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tests limits of his combative style in Disney feud
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ’ deepening feud with Walt Disney World is testing the limits of his combative leadership style while sending an unmistakable message to his rivals that virtually nothing is off limits as he plots his political future. The 43-year-old Republican has repeatedly demonstrated an...
Manhunt on for suspects as 100 die in Nigeria refinery blast
ABUJA, Nigeria — At least 100 people may have died in a refinery explosion in southeast Nigeria, an official said Sunday as the search intensified for bodies at the site and for two people suspected of being involved in the blast. The explosion Friday night at the Ohaji-Egbema local government...
Explainer: Concern mounts as Melissa Lucio’s execution nears
HOUSTON — Nearly half of the jurors who sentenced a Texas woman to die for the 2007 death of one of her 14 children have called for her upcoming execution to be halted and for her to get a new trial. Melissa Lucio, 52, is set to be executed Wednesday...
Retrial to begin in Texas for man charged with killing 18
DALLAS — The retrial of a man charged with killing 18 older women in the Dallas area over a two-year span is set to begin Monday, after the first jury to hear a case against him deadlocked. Billy Chemirmir, 49, faces life in prison without parole if he’s convicted of...
Ukraine official: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets top-level U.S. delegation
KYIV, Ukraine — The U.S. secretaries of state and defense met Sunday night with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the highest-level visit to the war-torn country’s capital by an American delegation since the start of Russia’s invasion. The meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary...
Shanghai erects metal barriers in fight against covid-19
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Volunteers and government workers in Shanghai erected metal barriers in multiple districts to block off small streets and entrances to apartment complexes, as China hardens its strict “zero-covid” approach in its largest city despite growing complaints from residents. In the city’s financial district, Pudong, the barriers —...
Long-serving Utah U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch dies at 88Video
SALT LAKE CITY — Orrin G. Hatch, the longest-serving Republican senator in history who was a fixture in Utah politics for more than four decades, died Saturday at 88. His death was announced in a statement from his foundation, which did not specify a cause. A staunch conservative on most...
California man accused of anti-LGBTQ threats to bomb Merriam-Webster over definition of ‘girl’
LOS ANGELES — An Orange County, Calif., man was arrested this week on suspicion of making anti-LGBTQ threats against Merriam-Webster Inc. and faces a federal charge in Massachusetts, authorities confirmed Friday. Jeremy David Hanson, 34, of Rossmoor was charged with one count of interstate communication of threats to commit violence,...
Can Russia win the battle for Ukraine’s battered east?
SLOVYANSK, Ukraine — When Russian troops blitzed into Ukraine, what was supposed to be an easy victory quickly foundered as Ukrainian forces mounted a strong defense that — along with Russia’s many missteps — have left Moscow mired in a withering two-month war with no end in sight. Unable to...
