U.S./World category, Page 173
Top commander with U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon is injured by protesters
The outgoing deputy commander of the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon was injured Friday when protesters attacked a convoy taking peacekeepers to the Beirut airport, the force known as UNIFIL said in a statement. “We are shocked by this outrageous attack on peacekeepers who have been serving to restore security...
Hamas names 3 more Israeli hostages set for release to uphold shaky Gaza ceasefire
JERUSALEM — Hamas named three Israeli hostages on Friday it will release in a weekend trade for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, the latest sign that the shaky Gaza ceasefire deal appears to be holding in spite of a tense dispute that has threatened to renew fighting. The militant group and...
Very cold weather is coming. U.S. about to get 10th and chilliest polar vortex this winter
The coldest burst of Arctic air this season is coming to put an icy exclamation point on America’s winter of repeated polar vortex invasions, meteorologists warn. And it will stay frozen there all next week. Different weather forces in the Arctic are combining to push the chilly air that usually...
Michigan judge sentences Walmart shoplifters to wash cars in the parking lot
A Michigan judge is putting sponges in the hands of shoplifters, ordering them to wash cars in a Walmart parking lot when spring arrives. Judge Jeffrey Clothier hopes the unusual form of community service discourages people from stealing from Walmart and rewards shoppers who could see higher prices, or possibly...
DOGE gets mixed reviews from conservatives who have long wanted major budget cuts
DES MOINES, Iowa — Conservatives who have spent decades promoting deep cuts to government are giving mixed reviews to the Department of Government Efficiency, the Elon Musk-led project to slash the federal workforce and reduce or end disfavored programs. The Associated Press interviewed four veteran budget hawks, including some who...
Bakery owner in New England says he was offended over town’s decision against pastry painting
CONCORD, N.H. — A New Hampshire bakery owner testified Friday that his excitement about displaying a painting by high school students of giant pastries quickly turned to annoyance after a zoning code officer told him it was a sign and had to be changed or removed. Sean Young said the...
Pope Francis, suffering breathing issues, faces tests after being hospitalized to treat bronchitis
ROME — Pope Francis was hospitalized Friday to treat a weeklong bout of bronchitis and undergo diagnostic tests, the Vatican said, confirming the latest issues with the 88-year-old’s pontiff’s health that forced him to cancel his agenda through Monday at least. Francis has complained of breathing trouble and was diagnosed...
Federal funding freeze disrupts rural organizations supporting foster youth, job growth
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — After surviving teen homelessness and domestic violence in West Virginia, 23-year-old Ireland Daugherty was finally feeling stable: She had her own apartment, a job and was studying for a four-year degree. Ashley Cain, 36, was celebrating four years of sobriety and working with a nonprofit that trains...
Judge sets a 5-day deadline for the Trump administration to start lifting its USAID funding freeze
WASHINGTON — A federal judge has ordered President Donald Trump’s administration to temporarily lift a funding freeze that has shut down U.S. humanitarian aid and development work around the world, and he has set a five-day deadline for the administration to prove it’s complying. The judge’s ruling late Thursday cited...
Prosecutors see an Islamic extremist motive in the Munich car-ramming attack
MUNICH — The suspect in the car-ramming attack in Munich that left more than 30 people injured appears to have had an Islamic extremist motive, but there’s no evidence that he was involved with any radical network, authorities said Friday. The 24-year-old Afghan, who arrived in Germany as an asylum-seeker...
A roadside bomb struck a vehicle carrying miners in southwestern Pakistan, killing 11 people
QUETTA, Pakistan — A roadside bomb struck a vehicle carrying coal miners in restive southwest Pakistan on Friday, killing at least 11 people and wounding five others, officials said. The attack happened in Harnai, a district in Balochistan province, according to a government administrator Wali Kakar. He said police had...
Zelenskyy to Vance: Ukraine wants ‘security guarantees’ as Trump seeks to end Ukraine-Russia war
MUNICH — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that his country wants “security guarantees” before any talks with Russia, as the Trump administration presses both countries to find a quick endgame to the three-year war. Shortly before sitting down with Vice President JD Vance for highly anticipated talks at the...
Oklahoma governor says he’ll stop plan to collect kids’ immigration statusVideo
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said he will stop a plan pushed by the state’s top education official to collect the immigration status of children when they register for public school. The Republican governor said Wednesday he is a staunch opponent of illegal immigration, but that policymakers should...
Texas cancels immunization conference, while CDC under federal gag order
The state of Texas is canceling its biennial immunization conference, planned for May, amid uncertainty over how much the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could participate while under a federal gag order. The Texas Department of State Health Services wrote in an email announcement on Wednesday that the...
Man whose wife was killed in a hippo attack in Africa sues the U.S. company that booked the trip
A New Jersey man whose wife was killed in a horrific hippopotamus attack last year during a safari in Africa is suing the U.S. company that arranged the trip, alleging it failed to ensure their safety and did not adequately screen and supervise the tour guides. Craig and Lisa Manders...
Order to drop New York Mayor Adams’ case roils Justice Department as high-ranking officials resignVideo
NEW YORK — Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor, Danielle Sassoon, and five high-ranking Justice Department officials resigned Thursday after she refused an order to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams — a stunning escalation in a dayslong standoff over the Trump administration prioritizing political aims over criminal...
Judge orders Trump administration to temporarily allow funds for foreign aid to flow again
WASHINGTON — A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to temporarily lift a three-week funding freeze that has shut down U.S. aid and development programs worldwide. Judge Amir Ali issued the order Thursday in U.S. district court in Washington in a lawsuit brought by two health organizations that receive...
Russian crypto expert Alexander Vinnik returns to Moscow in Russia-U.S. prisoner swap, reports say
MOSCOW — Alexander Vinnik, a Russian cryptocurrency expert who faced Bitcoin fraud charges in the United States, returned to Russia on Thursday after being freed in a swap that saw Moscow release American Marc Fogel, Russian news agencies reported. Alexander Vinnik arrived in Moscow on a flight from Turkey, where...
Hamas says it will free 3 more hostages as planned, paving the way to resolve ceasefire dispute
CAIRO — Hamas said Thursday it would release three more Israeli hostages as planned, paving the way toward resolving a major dispute over the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The militant group had threatened to delay the next release of captives, accusing Israel of failing to meet its obligations to...
A humpback whale briefly swallows kayaker in Chilean Patagonia — and it’s all captured on cameraVideo
PUNTA ARENAS, Chile — A humpback whale briefly swallowed a kayaker off Chilean Patagonia before quickly releasing him unharmed. The incident, caught on camera, quickly went viral as one of the most remarkable footage in Chile in recent years. Last Saturday, Adrián Simancas was kayaking with his father, Dell, in...
Vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sworn in as Trump’s health chief after close Senate vote
WASHINGTON — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was sworn in Thursday as President Donald Trump’s health secretary after a close Senate vote, putting the prominent vaccine skeptic in control of $1.7 trillion in federal spending, vaccine recommendations and food safety as well as health insurance programs for roughly half the country....
Gas explosion at Taiwan food court kills 4 and injures 26
TAIPEI, Taiwan — A gas explosion at a department store in Taiwan on Thursday killed four people and injured 26, fire authorities said. The blast occurred at the food court on the 12th floor of the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store in Taichung city, the Taichung Fire Bureau said. The...
Archaeologists unearth the remains of a Roman basilica on the site of a new London skyscraper
LONDON — Work to give 21st-century London yet another skyscraper has uncovered traces — in fact chunks — of the city’s origins almost 2,000 years ago. Archaeologists exploring the site of a planned 32-story office tower announced Thursday that they have unearthed the remains of a Roman basilica that once...
Florida man to be executed for 1997 double murder witnessed by toddler
STARKE, Fla. — A Florida man convicted of murdering a husband and wife during a fishing trip at a remote farm while the couple’s toddler looked on is scheduled to receive a lethal injection Thursday evening in the state’s first execution this year. The execution of 64-year-old James Dennis Ford...
At least 28 are hurt as a driver plows into a demonstration in Germany
BERLIN — A driver drove a car into a union demonstration in central Munich on Thursday, injuring at least 28 people including children, authorities said. Authorities said it was believed to be an attack. The suspect, an Afghan asylum-seeker, was arrested. The incident follows a series of attacks involving immigrants...
