U.S./World category, Page 434
Hamas releases 3rd group of hostages as part of truce deal while Netanyahu visits Gaza
JERUSALEM — The fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas was back on track Sunday as the militants freed 17 more hostages, including 14 Israelis and the first American, in a third set of releases under a four-day truce that the U.S. said it hoped would be extended. Some hostages were...
Congolese Nobel laureate kicks off presidential campaign with promise to end violence, corruption
GOMA, Congo — Congolese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Denis Mukwege kicked off his campaign for president in next month’s election on Saturday, promising to tackle corruption and the violent conflict ravaging communities in the country’s east. The 68-year-old renowned medical doctor told a crowd of supporters in Bukavu city...
Ecuador’s newly sworn-in president repeals guidelines allowing people to carry limited drug amounts
QUITO, Ecuador — Less than 48 hours into his term, Ecuador President Daniel Noboa on Friday repealed controversial guidelines established by the country’s left a decade ago that eliminated penalties for people found carrying illegal drugs under certain amounts. Noboa’s decision fulfilled a campaign promise to fight drug trafficking. Consequences...
Flight data recorder recovered from Navy plane that overshot runway near Honolulu
KANEOHE, Hawaii — The flight data recorder of a large Navy plane that overshot a runway and ended up in the water near Honolulu last week has been recovered as the military continues to plan for the aircraft’s removal. The Navy’s Aircraft Mishap Board is investigating on scene at Marine...
Attorney: Derek Chauvin’s family has received no updates after prison stabbing
MINNEAPOLIS — An attorney for Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd, said Saturday that Chauvin’s family has been kept in the dark by federal prison officials after he was stabbed in prison. The lawyer, Gregory M. Erickson, criticized the lack of transparency by the...
Tens of thousands march in London calling for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza
LONDON — Tens of thousands of people turned out on central London’s streets Saturday for a pro-Palestinian march calling for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza. At least five people were arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred, police said. The National March for Palestine in central London was the latest...
Pope Francis has a hospital checkup after coming down with the flu
ROME — Pope Francis went to the hospital Saturday for tests after he came down with the flu, but the results ruled out any respiratory problems, the Vatican said. Francis, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, underwent a CAT scan, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said....
Ukraine’s military says Russia has launched its largest drone attack since the start of the invasion
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia on Saturday morning launched its most intense drone attack on Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion in 2022, targeting the capital city for over six hours, military officials said. “Kyiv was the main target,” Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk wrote on his Telegram...
The debate over Ukraine aid was already complicated. Then it became tangled up in U.S. border security
WASHINGTON — As war and winter collide, a top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged during a recent visit to Washington that the days ahead “will be tough” as his country battles Russia while U.S. support from Congress hangs in the balance. President Joe Biden’s nearly $106 billion aid...
Thousands rally in Italy over violence against women after woman’s killing that outraged the country
ROME — Tens of thousands took to the streets of Italy’s main cities Saturday to mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, just as an Italian man suspected of killing his ex-girlfriend was extradited from Germany. The slaying of 22-year-old university student Giulia Cecchettin, allegedly at the...
Ex-officer Derek Chauvin, convicted in George Floyd’s killing, stabbed in prison, AP source says
Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd, was stabbed by another inmate and seriously injured Friday at a federal prison in Arizona, a person familiar with the matter told the Associated Press. The attack happened at the Federal Correctional Institution, Tucson, a medium-security prison that...
Florida man accused of threatening Thanksgiving mass shooting on NYC subway
A Florida man’s social media posts threatening a mass shooting on the New York City subway landed him in jail, authorities said Friday. Pinellas Park resident Robert Trout III, 19, posted a video of himself brandishing guns, and wrote: “If you’re from New York City, do not take the train...
Sandy Hook families offer Alex Jones two ways out of bankruptcy
Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims’ families proposed conspiracy theorist Alex Jones wind up his bankruptcy by paying creditors at least $85 million over 10 years or undergo an orderly liquidation. The Sandy Hook families, along with an official committee of Jones’ creditors, argued in court papers Wednesday the 11-month-long...
Sea turtle nests break records on U.S. beaches, but global warming threatens their survival
INDIAN ROCKS BEACH, Fla. — Just as they have for millions of years, sea turtles by the thousands made their labored crawl from the ocean to U.S. beaches to lay their eggs over the past several months. This year, record nesting was found in Florida and elsewhere despite growing concern...
Pittsburghers react to news of hostage swap, temporary ceasefire in Israel and Gaza
Leaders of Pittsburgh Jewish and Palestinian organizations had mixed reactions to Friday’s start of hostage exchanges and a temporary cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The Associated Press reported 13 Israelis, 10 people from Thailand and one person from the Philippines were released Friday, and Israel released...
FDA expands cantaloupe recall after salmonella infections double in a week
U.S. health officials recalled three more brands of whole and pre-cut cantaloupes Friday as the number of people sickened by salmonella more than doubled this week. Nearly 100 people in 32 states have gotten sick from the contaminated fruits. Arizona, Missouri, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ohio have the highest number of...
California examines benefits, risks of using artificial intelligence in state government
LOS ANGELES — Artificial intelligence that can generate text, images and other content could help improve state programs but also poses risks, according to a report released by the California governor’s office this week. Generative AI could help quickly translate government materials into multiple languages, analyze tax claims to detect...
Andrew Cuomo accused of sexual harassment by former aide in new legal filing
ALBANY, N.Y. — Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is being sued by a former aide who says Cuomo sexually harassed her while he was still in office. Cuomo’s former executive assistant Brittany Commisso filed the case against the ex-governor in state Supreme Court in Albany on Wednesday. The filing,...
Ohio voters just passed abortion protections. When and how they take effect is before the courts
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio’s new constitutional protections for abortion access and other reproductive rights take effect Dec. 7, a month after voters resoundingly passed them. How and when their impacts are felt remains unclear. Existing abortion-related lawsuits are moving again through the courts now that voters have decided the issue,...
Tensions on college campuses over Israel-Hamas War prompt federal investigations
University of Pittsburgh senior Eitan Weinkle lost an acquaintance in the Hamas attack at a festival in Israel on Oct. 7 and knows someone else who was taken hostage. He shoulders that grief and a fear shared by his Jewish peers at Pitt as antisemitic threats on college campuses rise....
Victims in Niagara Falls border bridge crash identified as Western N.Y. couple
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — The two people killed when their car crashed into a border checkpoint in Niagara Falls and exploded in a fiery wreck were identified Friday as a western New York husband and wife whose family owns a lumber business and several hardware stores in the Buffalo area....
A rapidly melting Antarctica gets the attention of UN chief ahead of COP28 climate talks
KING GEORGE ISLAND, Antarctica — On the cusp of the COP28 climate talks, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited frozen but rapidly melting Antarctica and said Thursday that intense action must be taken at the conference where countries will address their commitments to lowering emissions of planet-warming gases. “We are witnessing...
Israel releases 39 Palestinians from prison as part of cease-fire swap
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Hamas on Friday released 24 hostages who had been held captive in Gaza for weeks, and Israel freed 39 Palestinians from prison in the first stage of a swap under a four-day cease-fire deal. The freed hostages included 13 Israelis, 10 people from Thailand and...
UN confirms sexual spread of mpox in Congo for the 1st time as country sees a record outbreak
LONDON — The World Health Organization said it has confirmed sexual transmission of mpox in Congo for the first time as the country experiences its biggest-ever outbreak, a worrying development that African scientists warn could make it more difficult to stop the disease. In a statement issued late Thursday, the...
Balloons, bands and Santa: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade ushers in holiday season in New York
NEW YORK — Beloved characters like Snoopy and SpongeBob SquarePants soared through the skies above New York City on Thursday and bands marched along the streets below as the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade ushered in the holiday season. The parade started on Manhattan’s Upper West Side making its way...
