U.S./World category, Page 16
Pakistan is in ‘open war’ with Afghanistan after latest strikes, defense minister says
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan and Afghanistan exchanged cross-border attacks overnight in a dramatic escalation of tensions that led Pakistan’s defense minister to say on Friday that the two countries are in a state of “open war.” Afghanistan launched a cross-border attack on Pakistan late Thursday, saying it was in retaliation for...
At least 55 Ghanaians killed fighting for Russia in Ukraine war, minister says
ACCRA, Ghana — At least 55 Ghanaians have died fighting for Russia in Ukraine, Ghana’s foreign minister said Friday, one of the highest death tolls from among several African countries whose citizens are fighting in the war. Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said 272 Ghanaians have been lured into...
Bill Clinton says he ‘did nothing wrong’ with Epstein as he faced grilling over their relationship
WASHINGTON — Former President Bill Clinton told members of Congress on Friday that he “did nothing wrong” in his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and saw no signs of Epstein’s sexual abuse as he faced hours of grilling from lawmakers over his connections to the disgraced financier from more than two...
Scouting America will alter its policies to maintain support from the U.S. military, Pentagon says
WASHINGTON — Scouting America will alter several policies at the urging of the Pentagon, including one targeting transgender youths, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Friday as he pushes a campaign against military support for diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Some of the changes mirror what the organization suggested to the...
Ancient coupling may have happened more between human females and Neanderthal males
NEW YORK — Humans and Neanderthals cozied up from time to time when they lived in the same areas tens of thousands of years ago. But we don’t know much about who got with whom, or why. A new genetic analysis offers some ancient gossip: The pairings were more often...
Lawmakers say U.S. military used laser to take down Border Protection drone
FORT HANCOCK, Texas — The U.S. military used a laser to shoot down a Customs and Border Protection drone, members of Congress said Thursday, and the Federal Aviation Administration responded by closing more airspace near El Paso, Texas. It’s not clear why the laser was deployed but it’s the second...
Anthropic CEO says AI company ‘cannot in good conscience accede’ to Pentagon’s demands
WASHINGTON — Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said Thursday the artificial intelligence company “cannot in good conscience accede” to the Pentagon’s demands to allow wider use of its technology. The maker of the AI chatbot Claude said in a statement that it’s not walking away from negotiations, but that new contract...
IRS broke the law by disclosing confidential information to ICE 42,695 times, judge says
WASHINGTON — A federal judge said Thursday that the IRS broke the law by disclosing confidential taxpayer information “approximately 42,695 times” to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly found that the IRS had erroneously shared the taxpayer information of thousands of people with the Department of Homeland...
Nearly blind refugee found dead after Border Patrol agents drop him at Buffalo doughnut shop
A nearly blind refugee from Myanmar who disappeared after U.S. Border Patrol agents dropped him off at a Buffalo doughnut shop was found dead on the street five days later, prompting a police investigation and complaints from city officials that he’d been abandoned without care for his safety. Nurul Amin...
Columbia student detained by ICE is abruptly released after Mamdani meets with Trump
NEW YORK — Federal immigration authorities arrested a Columbia University student early Thursday, triggering protests on campus along with allegations that agents had entered the university-owned residence under false pretenses. Just hours after detaining student Ellie Aghayeva, though, the federal government abruptly reversed course, permitting her to walk free after...
Judge rejects request to block Trump White House from building its $400 million ballroom project
WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Thursday rejected a preservationist group’s request to block the Trump administration from continuing construction of a $400 million ballroom where it demolished the East Wing of the White House. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled that The National Trust for Historic Preservation was unlikely...
Afghanistan’s new penal code sets 15 days in prison for wife-beating, 5 months for animal fights
ATHENS, Greece — A new penal code issued by decree in Afghanistan sets harsher punishments for the mistreatment of animals than for domestic violence against women and solidifies into law inequality based on gender and social status. The decree, which was signed by Afghanistan’s Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada in January,...
Columbia student detained by federal agents who claimed to be seeking ‘missing person,’ school says
NEW YORK — A Columbia University student was arrested early Thursday by federal immigration agents who gained entry to her student housing by posing as investigators searching for a “missing person,” according to her attorneys and a statement from the school’s president. The student, Ellie Aghayeva, is a senior from...
North Korea warns it could destroy South if threatened, but leaves door open for U.S. dialogue
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un claimed his nuclear-armed country could “completely destroy” South Korea if its security were threatened, reiterating his refusal to engage with Seoul, state media said Thursday. However, he left the door open to dialogue with Washington as he concluded a ruling...
Deadly shooting in Cuban waters highlights obsessions with counter-revolution as U.S. pressure mounts
MIAMI — Word from the Cuban government of a deadly encounter between its troops and a boat carrying armed expatriates is casting a spotlight on Cubans living in the U.S. who still harbor aspirations of a counter-revolution 67 years after a guerrilla uprising ushered in communism. Cuban soldiers confronted a...
NYC police arrest man after officers were pelted during a snowball fight
NEW YORK — A 27-year-old man was arrested Thursday after New York City police said officers were hurt when they were pelted with snow and ice during a massive snowball fight in Washington Square Park this week. The New York Police Department said in a brief social media post the...
Trump administration asks the Supreme Court to allow an end to legal protections for Syrian migrants
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to allow it to end legal protections for migrants from Syria for now, in the latest emergency appeal to the nation’s highest court. The Department of Justice wants the court to lift a New York judge’s ruling halting the...
U.S. moves to cut off a Swiss bank over alleged Iran and Russia money flows
WASHINGTON — The U.S. is moving to sever a small Swiss bank from access to the U.S. financial system for its alleged support for Iranian and Russian actors, as U.S. and Iranian officials hold indirect talks Thursday in Geneva over Tehran’s nuclear negotiations. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network proposed a...
Instagram says it will notify parents if teens ‘repeatedly’ search for terms related to suicide
Instagram said Thursday it will start alerting parents if their kids repeatedly search for terms clearly associated with suicide or self-harm. The alerts will only go to parents who are enrolled in Instagram’s parental supervision program. Instagram says it already blocks such content from showing up in teen accounts’ search...
New York sues Counter-Strike game developer saying ‘loot boxes’ promote gambling
NEW YORK — New York’s attorney general has sued video game developer Valve, claiming the “loot boxes” found in Counter-Strike and other popular video game franchises illegally promote gambling. State Attorney General Letitia James said in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in New York state court that games such as Counter-Strike...
Hillary Clinton testifies she has no information on Epstein’s crimes and doesn’t recall meeting him
WASHINGTON — Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told members of Congress on Thursday that she had no knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s or Ghislaine Maxwell’s crimes, starting off two days of depositions that will also include former President Bill Clinton. “I had no idea about their criminal activities. I do...
Israeli strike kills 2 Palestinians in Gaza, health officials say, the latest deaths as truce stalls
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — An Israeli strike on Thursday killed at least two Palestinians and wounded five others east of Gaza City, according to Fadel Naeem, director of Al-Ahli Hospital, where the casualties arrived. The Israeli military had no immediate comment. Deadly Israeli strikes have repeatedly disrupted the truce...
Fire at an Ohio farm complex kills about 6,000 hogs and smoke is visible for miles
LONDON, Ohio — A fire at an Ohio hog farm complex has killed about 6,000 of the animals, an official said. A large column of smoke could be seen in the distance on Wednesday from Fine Oak Farms in London, Chief Brian Bennington of the Central Townships Joint Fire District...
U.S. filings for jobless aid rise modestly to 212,000 as layoffs remain at historically healthy levels
WASHINGTON — Slightly more Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week as layoffs remain at relatively healthy levels. The number of Americans filing for jobless aid for the week ending Feb. 21 rose by 4,000 to 212,000 from the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s in line with...
Memorial services for Jesse Jackson begin at Chicago headquarters of his civil rights organization
CHICAGO — Crowds of mourners lined up in Chicago as cross-country memorial services for the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. began Thursday in the city the late civil rights leader called home. The protege of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and two-time presidential candidate will lie in repose for two...
