U.S./World category, Page 226
Kosovo’s leader says Russia prevailing in Ukraine would threaten 25 years of peace in the Balkans
WARSAW, Poland — Kosovo’s prime minister said Thursday that the Balkan region has enjoyed the greatest degree of peace, freedom and democracy over the past 25 years but that this could be reversed if Russia prevails in Ukraine and encourages Serbian expansion. Albin Kurti, who has served as Kosovo’s leader...
Hurricane Kirk could cause dangerous surf conditions along East Coast
MIAMI — Waves from Hurricane Kirk could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions this weekend along the U.S. East Coast as well as in Bermuda, the Greater Antilles and the Bahamas, forecasters said. Kirk was a Category 3 storm in the central Atlantic Ocean and could strengthen further, but...
Florida communities hit 3 times by hurricanes grapple with how and whether to rebuild
HORSESHOE BEACH, Fla. — It was just a month ago that Brooke Hiers left the state-issued emergency trailer where her family had lived since Hurricane Idalia slammed into her Gulf Coast fishing village of Horseshoe Beach in August 2023. Hiers and her husband Clint were still finishing the electrical work...
Boat capsizes on lake in eastern Congo, killing at least 50 people, witnesses say
GOMA, Congo — A boat carrying scores of passengers capsized on Lake Kivu in eastern Congo on Thursday, killing at least 50 people, witnesses told The Associated Press. It was not immediately clear exactly how many people were on board or how many perished but witnesses said they saw rescue...
Israel extends evacuation warnings in Lebanon, signaling a wider offensive
BEIRUT — The Israeli military on Thursday warned people to evacuate a city and other communities in southern Lebanon that are north of a U.N.-declared buffer zone, signaling that it may widen a ground operation launched earlier this week against the Hezbollah militant group. Israel has told people to leave...
Thousands of shipping containers have been lost at sea. What happens when they burst open?
LONG BEACH, Wash. — Russ Lewis has picked up some strange things along the coast of Long Beach Peninsula in Washington state over the years: Hot Wheels bicycle helmets with feather tufts, life-size plastic turkey decoys made for hunters, colorful squirt guns. And Crocs — so many mismatched Crocs. If...
Hurricane Kirk strengthens into a Category 3 storm in the AtlanticVideo
MIAMI — Hurricane Kirk strengthened Wednesday into a Category 3 storm in the Atlantic Ocean and was expected to grow rapidly into a major hurricane, forecasters said. There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect, and the storm system was not yet deemed a threat to land. Kirk reached...
Doctor who helped supply Matthew Perry ketamine pleads guilty to drug charge
LOS ANGELES — A San Diego doctor charged in connection with Matthew Perry ‘s fatal overdose pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiring to distribute the surgical anesthetic ketamine. Dr. Mark Chavez, 54, entered the plea to the felony in federal court in Los Angeles, becoming the third person to admit guilt...
Prosecutors lay out new evidence in Trump election case, accuse him of having ‘resorted to crimes’
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump laid the groundwork to try to overturn the 2020 election even before he lost, knowingly pushed false claims of voter fraud and “resorted to crimes” in his failed bid to cling to power, according to a newly unsealed court filing from prosecutors that offers new evidence...
Dockworkers join other unions in trying to fend off automation, or minimize the impact
NEW YORK — The massive port workers’ strike that has crippled all the major dockyards on the Eastern seaboard of the U.S. is highlighting a fear held by many workers: Eventually, we will all be replaced by machines. The International Longshoremen’s Association, which represents the approximately 45,000 dock workers who...
Biden won’t support a strike on Iran nuclear sites as Israel weighs response to Iran missile attack
JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. — President Joe Biden said Wednesday he will not support an Israeli strike on sites related to Tehran’s nuclear program in response to Iran’s missile attack on Israel. “The answer is no,” Biden told reporters when asked if he would support such retaliation after Iran fired...
Hospitals mostly rebound after Helene knocked out power and flooded areas
While hospitals and health care organizations in the Southeast largely stayed open and functioning during Hurricane Helene to provide essential care for their communities, they were not unscathed. The massive system battered the region’s health centers, causing blackouts, wind damage, supply issues and flooding — leading to a dramatic rescue...
CIA makes it easier for potential informants to share tips
WASHINGTON — The CIA wants to make it easier — and safer — for people in Iran, China and North Korea to share information with America’s premier spy agency. The agency on Wednesday posted online instructions in Korean, Mandarin and Farsi detailing steps that potential informants can take to contact...
Palestinian officials say 51 killed in Israeli operation on southern Gaza
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israel launched ground operations and carried out airstrikes in a hard-hit city in southern Gaza overnight, killing at least 51 people, including women and children, Palestinian medical officials said Wednesday. Israel has continued to strike what it says are militant targets across Gaza nearly a...
Southerners stay in touch the old-fashioned way after Helene cuts roads, power, phones
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Isolated and without electricity or phone service since Hurricane Helene inflicted devastation across the Southeast nearly a week ago, residents in the mountains of western North Carolina are relying on old-fashioned ways of communicating and coping. At the town square in Black Mountain, local leaders stood atop...
Video of Kentucky judge’s death shown at court hearing for the ex-sheriff charged in the caseVideo
WEST LIBERTY, Ky. — Video showing a Kentucky judge being gunned down in his chambers was played Tuesday during a court hearing for the ex-sheriff who is charged in the killing that stunned their Appalachian community. The short video clip was presented by prosecutors during the preliminary hearing for Shawn...
NYC Mayor Eric Adams deflects questions about bribery charges as potential witness speaks out
NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Eric Adams delivered his most thorough public defense to date since his indictment on federal bribery charges, insisting the case is a “test” that will not distract him from governing as he deflected specific questions about the investigation for more than an hour...
House Speaker Mike Johnson lays out agenda for Republicans
WASHINGTON — Speaker Mike Johnson laid out on Tuesday a policy agenda should Republicans take the majority next year that extends the tax cuts approved when Donald Trump was president, reduces the size of the federal workforce and gives parents more choice on where they can send their children to...
Hunter Biden’s laptop: Judge rejects computer repairman’s defamation claims
DOVER, Del. — A computer repairman at the center of a controversy over Hunter Biden’s laptop has lost his defamation case against news outlets, the president’s son and Joe Biden’s presidential campaign. A Delaware judge on Monday also dismissed Hunter Biden’s claims accusing Wilmington, Del., computer shop owner John Paul...
Hurricane Helene’s death toll passes 150
SWANNANOA, N.C. — Cadaver dogs and search crews trudged through knee-deep muck and debris in the mountains of western North Carolina on Tuesday looking for victims of Hurricane Helene, days after the storm carved a deadly and destructive path through the Southeast. With Helene’s death toll topping 150, searchers fanned...
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs accused of sexual misconduct by 120 people, attorney saysVideo
HOUSTON — An attorney said Tuesday he is representing 120 accusers who have come forward with sexual misconduct allegations against Sean “Diddy” Combs, the hip-hop mogul who is awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Houston attorney Tony Buzbee said he expects lawsuits to be filed within the next month, with...
What to know about Hezbollah’s capabilities after its recent losses
BEIRUT — Hezbollah has suffered some of the heaviest losses in its history over the past two weeks, chief among them the killing of its longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in an Israeli airstrike. Two weeks ago, thousands of communications devices used by Hezbollah members exploded, killing 39 people and wounding...
Chemical cloud moving around Atlanta’s suburbs prompts new shelter-in-place alert
ATLANTA — Residents east of Atlanta were again warned Tuesday to take shelter where they are if shifting winds push the still-billowing chemical cloud from a chlorine factory fire over their neighborhood. A shelter-in-place order had just ended Monday evening for Rockdale County, where the chemical fire sent a huge...
Iran fires at least 180 missiles into Israel as regionwide conflict grows
JERUSALEM — Iran launched at least 180 missiles into Israel on Tuesday, the latest in a series of escalating attacks in a yearslong conflict between Israel and Iran and its Arab allies that threatens to push the Middle East closer toward a regionwide war. The orange glow of missiles streaked...
CERN still fascinates, discovers on its 70th anniversaryVideo
GENEVA — The research center that is home to the world’s largest particle accelerator is celebrating its 70th anniversary on Tuesday, with the physicists who run it aiming to unlock secrets about dark matter and other mysteries to promote science for peace in today’s conflict-darkened world. Over the last seven...
